Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. -1Peter 2:11-12 MSG
I love the way that The Message bible paraphrases Peter's words here. When I think about sinning I am confronted by how much my ego controls my daily activities. Daily I make choices that indulge my ego and reject the things that feed my soul. To me it is all about what Greg Boyd calls voluntary suffering. We cause our ego to suffer when we reject sin.
Yet spiritual life is so much more than denying our ego driven impulses. Living an exemplary life is all about loving our neighbors. Being kind. Patient. Forgiving. Hopeful. By these humble qualities many will know that we are followers of Jesus. The Spirit will use us to win folks over when we refuse to indulge our egos. Humility is such an attractive quality.
Help us to walk humbly with you today Lord.
... this devotion is part of an ongoing series on the epistles of Peter.
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