God rewards disciples that imitate His character. This daily devotional looks at how disciples are rewarded with peace and safety.
Nuggets
- God rewards disciples with peace when they allow Him to work His good in their lives.
- God provides for His disciples who are pursuing His good.
- Disciples are called to live moral lives and receive peace for practicing morality.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Moralities Lead to Godliness series
Manton concluded his sermon entitled The Moralities of Christianity by telling us that morality impacts our peace and safety. I can see the peace reference. Let’s see if we can dig out what he was meaning by safety.
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Let's Put It into Context
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things” (Phil. 4: 8 CSB)
The definition of moral, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior.” Morality, then, is “a doctrine or system of moral conduct.” When it is the plural form — moralities — it is a “particular moral principles or rules of conduct.”
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Our morals determine our character. Character, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation.”
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Peace is a fruit of righteousness manifested in an inward tranquility resulting from a balanced life with spiritual order, equity, and truth that implies cooperation, humility, integrity, communication, and cohesiveness.
Receiving Peace for Pursuing Good
“Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good?” (I Pet. 3: 13 CSB)
God rewards disciples with peace when they allow Him to work His good in their lives.
Some would read this to mean that Peter implied that disciples will receive only good if they give only good. It may also be read to say no one would be able to harm a disciple who is following God’s Will.
Boone suggested, in a way, that we have the Golden Rule in effect. He wrote, “A man’s best safeguard is benevolence; if we are ourselves inoffensive in our behaviour, others will be less likely to injure us; in proportion as we are anxious to do good, we shall be less likely to suffer evil.”
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Verse Commentary
I can see you jumping up and down. Yes, bad things do still happen to disciples. Peter never meant that we would have smooth sailing.
The bad things will come, but they will not harm us. “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8: 28 CSB). That makes the bad things coming from God, not man.
We learn when we encounter the bad things. We grow closer to God that way because we get the sin cut out of us. That makes them good in the end.
Besides, Paul went on to say what Peter was getting at. “… If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Rom. 8: 31 NLT).
I picked this version because it has a extra word that none of the others have. (I know, I usually don’t like rewrites, but this one proves the point.)
It says “… who can ever be against us?” (Rom. 8: 31 NLT emphasis added). Satan — and therefore man — is never going to best God. If God allows it to happen, it is part of the good.
Doesn’t that instill peace in us?
- Nothing is going to happen to us that God doesn’t ordain.
- What happens to us will grow our character.
- God blesses those who are obedient to Him.
Ranken felt, if we treat others with respect, they will treat us with respect. This means, according to Leighton, using our meekness, patience, charity, and fidelity.
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Glossary
To read a related devotion, click on the appropriate button below.
Oh? Do you come down more on Melvill’s side that our pious demeanor brings more persecution from worldview people than peace? Then there are those who see the meek demeanor of disciples as fair game for bullying.
Melvill basically explained it as being punishment for our defective performance — when we do sin. It is hard for others — and sometimes us — to distinguish between punishment and testings.
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But we have to remember what the definition of good is. Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people. When we strive to be obedient and not sin, we gain God’s peace.
Glossary
What if we translate this as Leighton did? What harm can come to those imitating God?
When we have ABCDed, we gain eternal life. Regardless of what happens to this body, no harm will come to us because we are under God’s protection.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Receiving Peace for Being Good
“and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you” (I Sam. 24: 17 CSB)
God provides for His disciples who are pursuing His good.
Manton must have thought as Woodhouse did: worldview people can find defeat when they attack disciples. Case in point — Saul and David.
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Person of Interest
Saul hunted David down relentlessly. He would have found defeat at David’s hand several times if David hadn’t possessed God’s spiritual graces.
David showed strong moral character many times through his tenure in the Scriptures. He showed he valued the things God valued. David valued Saul as king because God had made him king. For this reason, David wouldn’t kill Saul when he had the opportunities. That showed forgiveness and forbearance.
Because of David’s strong witness, Saul was convicted of his sin. David was a witness because of his actions.
This verse could be used as verification of what Peter was saying. How can the wicked harm the good?
Saul was an accomplished soldier. Yet, he wasn’t able to kill David.
God was fighting for David. (Here is where the safety comes in.)
Parker contended that moral superiority is more powerful than physical superiority. He also wrote, “In every life there is at least one opportunity of showing the real quality of the heart. David seized it!”
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If God wanted to use His power and force us into serving Him, He could. He doesn’t. He isn’t a dictator.
God calls us to Him through forgiveness and forbearance. Forbearance has been tied to both longsuffering/patience, forgiveness and meekness in past devotions. In fact, we show meekness and patience by being forgiving.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Receiving Peace for Practicing Morality
“Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4: 9 CSB)
Disciples are called to live moral lives and receive peace for practicing morality.
How do we receive God’s peace? Philippians 4: 9 gives us several action verbs. Let’s rearrange them to put them in chronological order.
- Hear
- Receive
- Learn
- Do
We have to put ourselves into position to hear God’s Word. We can go to God’s house, find it on the internet or radio, or talk with a friend.
We’ve talked before that hearing isn’t always listening. We must choose to listen to God when He talks to us.
Then we have to work at it so we can understand who God is and what He has done for us. Only then can we truly submit our lives to Him.
No, it doesn’t stop there. We have to live the way He wants us to live. We have to live moral lives.
Making the Connections
If … then.
If we submit to God, we want to imitate Him.
If we imitate His character, we live moral lives.
If we live moral lives, God will provide us peace and safety.
God fulfills His promises.
How Do We Apply This?
I love what Leighton said. He wrote, “Study Christ much, and you will find not only the pattern in Him, but strength and skill from Him to follow it.” We get better at following Christ when we follow Him.
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Hmmm. There is a pattern? I will have to think about that.
I do know what the study means. That means we have to search for and seek Him.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
It all hinges on our dedication in following Him. Are we willing to change our character to imitate Him? Will we worship Him?
Make the commitment today to imitate His character.
Father God. Today, we choose You. We commit to living moral lives, so that we may imitate You. Amen.
What do you think?
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