1
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that,
if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without
words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and
reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward
adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry
or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth
in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who
put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted
themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and
called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and
do not give way to fear.
7 Husbands, in the same way be
considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as
the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life,
so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Suffering for Doing Good
8
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another,
be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult
with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this
you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a]
13
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if
you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their
threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts revere
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who
asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that
those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be
ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to
suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered
once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After
being made alive,[d] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned
spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited
patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only
a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this
water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of
dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.[e]
It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into
heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in
submission to him.
For Meditation:
10 For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a]
Noyo Edem's Notes:
Peter
admonishes us in this passage to do good deeds and be loving and
considerate to one another. Wives should submit themselves to their
husbands and adorn themselves with a gentle and quiet spirit like the
women of old. Furthermore, women should emulate the example of Sarah who
called her husband her Lord.
Men should respect and love
their wives. None of us should be tired of doing good deeds even when we
are being persecuted. Doing good deeds in persecution is honorable and
should actually be seen as an opportunity for God to bless us.
Jesus
Christ suffered persecution and he was crucified for doing good deeds.
Jesus Christ was victorious over evil and as a result God gave him
dominion over the rebellious spirits that were held in bondage before
the world was created because of their disobedience to God.
The
world was destroyed by water during the days of Noah, and only eight
people survived. By implication, we must realize that good will forever
triumph over evil and everyone that does good will be rewarded by God
the Father.
The flood waters that destroyed the
earth during the days of Noah cleansed the earth of wicked deeds. In the
same way, water baptism cleanses us from our sins when we accept Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior. We have a clear conscience to interact
with God and His Son, Jesus Christ and we become co-heirs of God's
Kingdom with Jesus' Christ.
It is good to testify about the love of God
to men and to have a desire for everyone to know the truth about God's
Kingdom. There are souls that are yet unsaved and it is the
responsibility of the believer to reach out to those souls and tell them
about the gospel of truth.
What role do we want to play to ensure
that the gospel reaches everyman on earth? The Lord is calling on us to
go out to preach the gospel to the rest of the world. Are we ready to
do the Lord's will?
Prayer: Father help us to do your
will. Teach us to love one another and to treat one another with due
respect and consideration. May we always strive to do good deeds in
Jesus' name. Amen.
Be blessed.
Mrs. Noyo Edem
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