1 Peter 2:11-17

1 Peter 2:11-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  There's a great book by theologians Stan Hauerwas & Will Willimon called Resident Aliens.  The gist of it is that this place is not our home -- we have a true home in God that our souls long for.  We were made for union with God, and being separated from him makes us foreigners in a foreign land.
  So how do we live as strangers in a strange land?
  We serve and honor and love the people around us, and we obey the rules of the land.  We act as good citizens, returning evil with good, always loving the other.  We demonstrate how God is at work in our lives, and in so doing we invite others to come and see that the Lord is good.  To do so, we have to engage with the community around us, and this is risky -- they could reject us, or they could hurt us, but we are called to serve selflessly, to risk all for the kingdom. This is hard, and I'm probably the last person to ask about risking things, but Scripture guides me forward, calling me deeper into the faithful life, to let go of all the idols I'm holding on to and all the fears that hold me back.
  We are free, as Peter says.  Free not for the sake of being free, but free to love and serve and give thanks to the One who has freed us from sin!!