1 PeterSample

The Order Is Everything

There is an order to everything. The Bible tells us that God “has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). But there is a big difference between having the right ingredients or elements, and doing things in the right order. The right words placed in the wrong order don’t make a sentence. The right ingredients cooked in the wrong order don’t make a meal. The right notes played in the wrong order don’t make a song. The order is everything.

We say that something is “out of order” when it’s not working. When things are out of order in our lives, it can be because things were done in the wrong order, or because we refused to be under orders. Romans tells us “if you go against the grain, you’re going to get splinters.” In verses 13-16 of 1 Peter 3, we see that when we seek to honor God and submit to His authority and order, we’ll have two things.

No Reason to Fear

People will try to destroy you, but they won’t be able to touch you if you’re doing the right thing. They can try and harm you, but it ultimately, it won’t work. There is protection in the passion of good work and God’s plans can’t be put out of order. Yes, we may still experience criticism even when we’re doing good, but we don’t have to fear it or worry about it. Instead, it will only serve to deepen and strengthen us.

A Clear Conscience

People should not be able to look at us and make an argument against believing in God. Peter gives us instructions on how we ought to live as believers: sympathetic, loving, compassionate, humble, repaying evil with blessing, doing good and seeking peace, responding with gentleness and respect. You can’t impact people you’re not kind to. So when we fail in these areas, we keep our conscience clean by acknowledging our faults and then working on them. When we show others the love of God, treat them with kindness, and admit our mistakes, then those who would try to speak against us won’t be able to.