Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The “put a way’s” of life!

 

1 Peter 2:1

The “put a way’s” of life!  Can you remember your mother saying it is time to put away those toys, or you need to put away your clothes?  And as you got older it was, would you please put away the tools after you used them.  Then you got married and it often is a friendly reminder that most items have a place and it would be nice to put them away when you are finished using them.  Yes, putting away is required to have a life of order, so why should we be surprised that Peter is telling us that we have things in our lives; habits and learned behaviors that need to be put away?

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”   Who is Peter’s audience? That is always a good question when reading the Bible, and it came as no shock, he is addressing this to Christians.  I’m not sure how often we discussed this in our adult Bible study class, maybe it was on the days I missed, however, I have no memory of myself or others sharing that they have anything like the above, to put away.  Could it be we have no understanding of what these words mean?  Or could it be that we have become so sophisticated and so spiritual that the Holy Spirit only meant this for the elect scattered throughout Asia Minor?

The only problem with it not being written for us is, that is totally wrong, and if you have looked around of late, not at other Christians, but in your mirror, you understand that; you and I have difficulty in following the requirements set out in the Manufacturers Handbook.  So once more, I need to understand the meaning of these words, for surely if we understood the meaning of the words, we will put them away.  Malice: the desire to cause harm to others, or to see somebody in pain. Surely no one sitting in an adult Bible study would want to cause harm to anyone?  And then Peter does not just say deceit, no he precede it with the word all.  Deceit: the act or practice of deceiving or misleading somebody.  Other words that may help you with this one are; dishonesty and deception, but once more I must confess to never hearing anyone who was in my adult Bible study own up to needing to take off, or put away deceit, not even this writer.  Is this good, are you enjoying this as much as I am?  The next word Peter used was hypocrisy, and it is defined in this way, Hypocrisy: the false claim to or pretense of having admirable principles, beliefs or feelings.  We need more help with this one, shall we add a few other words that will help, words like insincerity, double standards, pretense, and two-faced.  I believe I can say with full assurance, this subject has not been part of anyone’s confession in our adult Bible studies.  Nor has envy been confessed: the resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else’s success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions.  I’m sure we do not need other words like jealousy, greed, and resentment to help us with this definition.  And the last word is slander: a false and malicious statement that damages somebody’s reputation. 

You and I, more than likely, understood the meaning of those words Peter was telling us to “Put away” without the help of the definitions, so why do we act as if none of them apply to us?  It’s a one-word answer, it’s called pride, and it keeps us from being light in this present darkness.


From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

No comments: