The Jesus followers in Biblical times did not have it easy. There was pressure from the government to get rid of them and the church of the day actively tried to wipe them off the face of the earth.

But more than that, people in the immediate area falsely accused them and said they were hostile to the government and also guilty of crimes.

These accusations were made maliciously against the Christians, but if you dig deeper, you see that ignorance often motivated the attacks. People were in the dark and unfamiliar with the principles of the Christian religion.

Therefore, Peter proposed the following to help them: ¹⁵It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.

How does one get rid of ignorance? You bring knowledge to the surface. Peter’s proposal to lift people out of the darkness is by living Christian principles in the world.

Fools who want to get rid of the Christians are no match for people who live with integrity. People who do good cannot be gossiped about in the streets of life. Good deeds only get praise. Nothing can be said behind someone’s back if you live within the will of God and make a difference wherever you go.

It hasn’t changed much out there. You see, Christians have become so much a part of the world, their actions just like the world, that there is no longer a clear line to be seen.

If Christians live the same life as the rest and do as they do and participate in the actions of the world, people will wonder what makes the Christians any different. People won’t know the difference and ignorance will reign.

And because of their ignorance, the people of the world will begin to make up things about Christians. Their misunderstanding will lead to wrong thinking about Christians, which is why you must live in such a way that it will silence their ignorant talk.

Yes, we can silence the critics by living a life of integrity. Your yes must be your yes and your no, straight up your no. People should always know that you are the same when you are with them and when not.

But it’s difficult to know whether you are living the right way in every situation. To help me with this, I now only ask myself two questions: Is what I want to do part of the wisdom column or the stupid column? Does what come out of my mouth turn on the lights or am I stumbling around in the dark?

Dark things and stupid words breed ignorance. Ignorance opens the door to unnecessary criticism and drives people away from God. Let us, therefore, take the command seriously, live in the light and allow wisdom to pave our way. Then other people will be able to see what really matters and turn to the Saviour with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Scripture
1 Peter 2:13-17

Reflection
Where are you still living in the dark?
Where do you still make stupid choices?
How can you change your life to help others out of darkness?

Prayer
Father, I know that in some places I still live just like the world and that leads to ignorance. Help me to start living differently so that others can see and understand Your love and be drawn to You. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.