A Cross Shaped Life - On Monday
30 Days in First Peter - day 16
Work is hard. It was particularly hard for many of the men and women Peter was writing to. They were indentured servants. Unlike most of us, they weren’t free to quit their jobs and look for employment elsewhere. They were stuck—many of them for life.
Peter and the other apostles were not promoting slavery. They were helping believers face life as it was. Estimates of the number of slaves in the Roman world range from 25–40 percent of the population. Christianity made great inroads among that segment of society. Those people needed to know how to live the Christian life right where they were.
Today many Bible teachers apply this passage to the employer/employee relationship. That is a legitimate application, even though most employees in the modern world are not slaves.
So as you think about your role in the workforce and your relationship with your employer, what does this text have to say to you?
First, it acknowledges that life isn’t always fair and that you may be mistreated at times. Then it instructs you how, as a Christian, you should respond under that burden. The general principle is simple: respond like Christ.
Peter calls us to look again at the crucifixion and how Jesus dealt with His suffering. Christ becomes our model for how we handle ours.
Peter points out several things we see in Jesus that we can apply to our own lives.
Be submissive. He is not asking us to cower or compromise. He is asking us to look at Jesus, who endured abuse without lashing out.
Keep a clear conscience. Don’t respond in sinful ways. Don’t create fissures in your relationship with God or other people because you react poorly to hardship.
Watch what you say. Don’t speak evil of others even when they speak evil of you. Don’t resort to threats or condemnation.
Most importantly, trust God.
The primary reason we respond poorly to mistreatment is that we do not think God notices. Or if He does notice, we do not think He cares or will do anything about it.
Our greatest personal victories at work will often come through faith—believing that God will take care of us even when someone in authority over us does not.
Thank you so much for this reminder! Good one.