Seven Critical Challenges for Living in This World (A Study of I Peter 2): Free Slaves?

Some of you are aware that I’ve been engaged in a daily Bible reading program with my friend Frank in New Jersey for a couple of years or so. We choose a book of the Bible and read the same chapter each day for a week — then move on to the next chapter after that. Our procedure is quite simple and is explained here.

Well, I’ve started a small group of four men who are doing this kind of daily Bible reading and we’ve worked our way through Philippians and I Timothy, and are now going through I Peter. We drop each other a short email on Sunday about something we’ve learned in our reading together.

In reading through I Peter 2, I believe there are seven critical challenges that Peter gives us that are particularly relevant for us right now in our world. Here’s the sixth —

This one seems a bit contradictory, doesn’t it? We are to live “as free people” but “as God’s slaves”! Someone has said that man’s first duty is not to find freedom, but a Master. How true. We’re gonna serve somebody, as the great theologian Bob Dylan once said.

We can misuse our freedom in Christ to do and to cover-up EVIL! Really! The Christian world was shocked a while back to learn that a world-renown apologist for the Christian faith was using his freedom (and his organization’s finances) for his own sexual escapades. We underestimate our inclination to do evil to our peril.

Today’s Challenge: How might you and I show our freedom in Christ today? How might we demonstrate that we are most free when we are serving our Lord God? Any thoughts?