1 Peter 2:18-25

1 Peter 2:18-25
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 At the end of a baseball game, we can all look at the scoreboard and see who has won.  Lately, in the case of the Cincinnati Reds, it has become fairly predictable to know what that scoreboard will look like.
  In the world, we're programmed from birth to look at newspapers and magazines to see who is winning.  We're taught that people with fame, money and worldly power have more status, and thus, they are winning.
  In Scripture, the scoreboard looks different.  God calls us to serve selflessly, to love all, even out enemies.  We don't have to worry about the score, because the rules are different -- we are judged based on what Christ has done for us, not on what we achieve on our own.  It's hard for us to understand how to play by these rules, but it's a vital step, because when we let go of the anxiety that comes with worrying about how we are viewed by the world, we are free to bask in God's love and share that love with others without concern about how others might view our actions.  Our only judge is the same God who has come as Savior, and so we need not worry about the score.  It has been settled.  We have been set free to live for the glory of God!