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When Peter writes his letters to the Church of Jesus Christ he is responding to the real needs of those persecuted disciples.

He is reacting to their pain and deep distress, and it is because he is so clear in his teaching that he is able to give strong encouragement.

Peter knew what it was like to be persecuted and imprisoned, and so could write from personal experience.

The early Church appeared to be married to poverty, prisons and persecution, whereas today one could say the emphasis can be on prosperity, personalities and popularity.

Some argue that you should never mix politics and religion, but it is when they are separated and divorced that problems arise.

Much is said about separating private behaviour from public life, but my private life will affect my public behaviour.

What I do in private influences how I behave in public.

It can be easy to lower standards to gain a few friends, and this temptation arises in all sorts of very subtle ways, as well in ways that are not so subtle.

Peter pleads with disciples of Jesus that they seek to maintain good conduct, and that means more than living clean, straight, upright lives.

All this profound and practical teaching flows from Peter’s glorious and moving description of the many privileges we have in Jesus Christ.

Many do not want faith in Jesus Christ, and biblical morality, to influence politics, education, and the workplace.

This is why Peter’s writing is so controversial and politically incorrect, because today, the emphasis is on self rather than submission.

Now, that is a word we seldom hear outside the wrestling ring.

It can be a tough fight, and a spiritual battleground, to resist tempting thoughts and activities, but such passions can kill us spiritually.

Sandy Shaw
Nairn Christian Fellowship

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Yahweh Shammah,