Sojourners and Exiles - Pt 2

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV).

The fact that we are exiles on the earth (v. 11) does not mean that we don’t care what becomes of culture. However, it does mean that we exert our influence as very happy, brokenhearted outsiders. What does this really mean for us in regard to our behavior? We must learn to deal effectively in our culture, especially in America where technology has become a significant challenge to godly behavior. It follows the old adage that we should seek to “bloom where we are planted.” Let me make four suggestions: 1. First, we ought to live faithfully by participating. Our first response to discomfort is to remove ourselves from it. This was probably why God commanded the Jews to stay put and actively participate in what he’d ordained for them. This means hardship is never wasted time, for it can be used in redeeming ways by the Redeemer. Live faithfully in exile by being an active participant. 2. Second, live faithfully by pursuing the Lord. There is wonderful fellowship with Christ in times of exile. Paul’s prayer was to know Jesus in both his resurrection power and in the fellowship of his sufferings (cf. Philippians 3:10-11). Seasons of exile challenge us to pursue the only one who can satisfy when all else fails and changes abound. 3. Third, we live faithfully by submitting to the Father. In times of exile there is so much we cannot understand. Our suffering, then, is an opportunity to release our tight grip on “the way life should be” and yield control completely to the Father’s hands. God may send us directly into the storm to produce in us what we cannot for ourselves. But that is grace! There is profound peace in realizing he is Lord over every circumstance and that we need only to trust him with our welfare. 4. Fourth, live faithfully by responding in Christ. People are always watching us. And how we respond during exile reflects the true state of our hearts. We can grumble and demand our “rights.” However, by seeking Christ during hard seasons and submitting to him anyway, even though we don’t understand his ways, we live radically different than the world does. We live in hope.