SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-01-22T08:00:00-06:00
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
Our neighbors have a fish, so when they leave town, we have a fish. During our brief sojourns with our aquatic friend, I sometimes think about life in the fishbowl. I wonder, “What’s it like to live in that bowl? How does it feel to be threatened by a cat and a toddler?” I don’t think the fish contemplates such questions, but I have noticed one thing. He comes to life when we approach the fishbowl. From the other side of the room, he appears sluggish, but when we get close, he welcomes the attention. It’s like he knows his life is on display.
On Sunday Mark Davis compared the Christian life to life in a fishbowl. Christ’s followers do not swim in a claustrophobic container but in the glorious freedom of the children of God. Our fishbowl could be labeled “IN CHRIST,” and in Christ the Lord has put our lives on display. The Christian life is a glass door and an open window to the watching world. Peter writes, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). As Peter brings our conduct into focus, the passage raises several questions worthy of reflection.
First, do we understand the significance of our lives being on display? Theologically, we know that belief precedes behavior, that who God is and what He has done undergirds and empowers our response. But we mustn’t forget that God’s grace saves us and transforms us. In our radically individualistic world, we need the reminder that as the body of Christ, our conduct matters. People are watching, and they’re asking whether Jesus Christ makes a difference. As we consider our various spheres of influence, how do our lives make the gospel more (or less) believable? Are we eager to address the disconnects between what we profess and what we practice?
Second, do we understand the opportunity the Lord has given us? As we live in the fishbowl, the watching world is more dangerous than any cat or toddler. Peter tells us that outsiders will speak against us as evildoers. When we do good and people call it evil, what will those people see in our response? A good defense or good deeds? Amazingly, the Lord has chosen to use the consistent, faithful conduct of His imperfect people to reveal the worth of Christ to those who need Him. When Jesus was hanging on a cross, the world called evil good. And with His life on full display, Jesus responded, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” There’s a reason that the Christian life looks “alien” to those on the outside. Do we realize we’re living in a fishbowl, with our lives on display? And are we praying that the Lord will use our lives to invite others to stop spectating and take the plunge?