Desires

1 Peter 2:11  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul…….20-21 but if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.

At “my” Starbucks the door does not close properly. On warm days the cold air conditioning above the door runs when it is ajar.  This cool air permeates the area I sit and I am uncomfortable.  A couple times shutting it works, but then people keep coming and going.  Being constantly interrupted by closing it is annoying.

When reading “sinful desires”, usually the big things of life come to mind.  But today the small but highly important things occupy my thoughts.  There is a non Christian in my life with whom I encounter on a daily basis.  The feelings of rejection as I try to build a relationship have invaded me this week.  My sinful desires of giving up are prevalent.  The simpler, comfortable route is an easy escape and what would it matter anyway?  Suffering can be uncomfortable and trying to avoid it can become annoying.  As Christians God asks us to endure it, He became the example for us on the cross.  Our efforts do matter, and whether or not we see the fruit of them, they are commendable before God. 

So, when I sit at Starbucks and the annoying door won’t close, I will be reminded suffering is for the glory of God.  And as my friend in Michigan would say, “buck up soldier” do what you are supposed to do.

Stranger

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Non-fat, toffee nut hot chocolate with whip, maple oat nut scone warmed up on a plate with a fork.  The same Starbucks store has seen me walk through its doors at the same time, on the same day, every week for a few years now.  A couple of the regular employees who have taken my order now have my routine down.  I’m not a stranger to this place anymore.

Peter says in this passage we are “aliens and strangers”, this is not a term I normally want to associate myself with at first thought.  As Christians, it makes sense and I comprehend the meaning more clearly.  Our responses to the “normal” of this world make a huge impact on the “pagans” as Peter writes.  Peter wants our good deeds to shine in this world, our reactions to the temptations of sinful desires are seen by more than we may know.  The good deeds that glorify God may not be seen as popular, but they are right and God uses them.  Though we are aliens and strangers in this world, we are never alone when we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So in worldly terms I am not a stranger at my Starbucks store, but in heavenly terms I am.  I’m ok with that.

Common

1 Peter 2:11  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in this world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

When I first sit down at Starbucks I sip gently on my hot chocolate with whipped cream.  See if you sip the whipped cream with a little hot chocolate cooled by the cream, you can enjoy it without scorching your tongue.  But today, I got too much hot chocolate too fast and you know what happened.  My tongue now has that tingly burnt feeling. 

This week I attended a parenting seminar by Al Menconi.  He said this, that which is Common becomes Acceptable, once Acceptable it becomes Normal.  Peter writes in verse 11 as aliens and strangers in this world, abstain from sinful desires.  Often in the world sins are common and then they don’t seem so bad when “everyone else is doing it” so we accept them, before we know it they are the norm and they seem fine . . . . until they turn around and “scorch your tongue”.  Then you are left with that “tingly burnt feeling”.  Thankfully we have a God who forgives and heals and takes the burn away.

Dear God, you are the Savior of the World, nothing shocks you, nothing takes you by surprise.  I pray that your ways will be my ways and I will accept nothing that is outside of you.

A People

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I worked for a small “one girl” office many years ago and one day one of the guys came in and said “you are our people”.  He told one of his clients, “I’ll have my people call your people” and I was it.  It brought a chuckle and made me feel slightly important.  Not nearly as important as being a “chosen people…God’s special possession…people of God who have received mercy”, now that is an important feeling, not just slightly but eternal!

As I sit in Starbucks and ponder, appreciative of so many minute aspects of life itself, I am besieged with the words, chosen, royal, holy…God’s special possession.  It says in verse nine, “you may declare”, we have permission to declare the praises of Him, so let’s go do it!