Week Three: The End of Ignorance

Two weeks down...let's welcome week three with great expectation!  

Week Three:  The End of Ignorance

Scripture:  1 Peter 2:13-15

Objective:  To educate ourselves on the way to end ignorance around us.

I know we all face a day or three in our lives when we have to deal with conversations that we could politely categorize as "ignorant".  Perhaps it's the person who says "well if you are a Christian then..." or "since you are a Christian you...".  The difficulty with these types of conversations is that it is nearly impossible to represent Christ well with a verbal response.  Typically we end up getting angry or confusing ourselves in the conversation.  Week three challenges us to "silence the ignorant talk" with our actions.  

1 Peter 2:13-15 says,

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

This just may be the secret that we've all been looking for.  Remember our daily walk affects the future walk of others.  So, choose to do what's right even according to society's standards.  When we do so, this silences the ignorance around us.  Instead of trying to combat or explain why Christians do what or what you do and how you do it...choose to follow the word of God which challenges us to do right at all times and in all circumstances.  When we submit ourselves to the various authorities that we are subject to (whether it be on the job...in school...governmental laws...etc), then we are pleasing God and walking in the will of God.  Remember, it is the will of God for us to do GOOD in order to silence ignorance...not try to explain ourselves to others.

THIS WEEK'S LENTEN CHALLENGE:

This week, I challenge each of us to keep quiet and just BE GOOD! Instead of trying to defend ourselves when misunderstood or explain why we are so committed to our Lenten fasts, choose to live "GOOD" or "GOD-LIKE" in all arenas of our lives.  I challenge us to be "the Bible that someone sees" every second of the day.  Whether completing an unfair task at work or finishing up a class assignment with integrity, the way to end ignorance is to DO GOOD...come on, it's God's will!

PRAYER:

All knowing God, we thank You because You knew all of the circumstances we would face before we could have ever imagined them.  Since this is true, we thank You for preparing us to handle all that may come our way.  In our Lenten pursuits, help us to live "in front of people" in a way that encourages others to live for You and not run in the other direction.  Help us to end the ignorance around us by doing good and living in the way that pleases You.  As we do so, we thank You for strengthening us for this journey.  In Jesus' name, Amen.