Let Your Light Shine

Living Before the World

A Call to Holiness and Love

 Living for Christ in a Watching World

Suffering, Holiness, and Hope

Living as Witnesses to God’s Glory

Reflection on 1 Peter 2:11–4:19

As believers, we are described as “temporary residents and foreigners” in this world (1 Peter 2:11). Our true home is with God, as Revelation 21:3 promises: “God himself will be with them.” This understanding shapes how we live before the watching world, emphasizing holiness, love, and steadfastness, even in suffering.

Peter’s exhortation echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This blog explores how Peter’s teachings guide our lives as Christians living in a culture that often opposes God’s ways.

1. Living as Strangers in the World (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Peter urges believers to abstain from sinful desires and live honorably among unbelievers. Matthew Henry notes, “Though Christians are in the world, they must not be of the world. Their holy conduct should point others to God.” Similarly, C.S. Lewis writes, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.”

Peter’s call to good works aligns deeply with Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 6:7: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,” and Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Both apostles emphasize that our daily actions—whether at work, home, or in public—are opportunities to glorify God. Our integrity, diligence, and kindness demonstrate the transformative power of the Gospel, inviting others to see God’s love through us.

2. Christ as Our Example in Suffering (1 Peter 2:21-25; 4:1-2)

Peter reminds us that Christ never sinned but suffered for our freedom. Eugene Peterson, in The Message, paraphrases Peter’s teaching: “He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way.”

Jesus’ suffering was part of God’s plan (Matthew 16:21-23) and serves as a model for us. Dallas Willard encourages us to see suffering as transformative: “In the midst of suffering, we learn to trust God in ways we never could otherwise.” Pain and trials reveal our true values and help align our lives with Christ’s purposes.

3. Influencing Others Through a Changed Life (1 Peter 3:1-7)

Peter highlights the power of a transformed life, especially within families. Christian wives, through their inner beauty and quiet strength, can influence unbelieving husbands. Proverbs 31:30 reminds us, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

William Barclay notes that 1 Peter 3:7 emphasizes a radical shift in how marriage was understood in Peter’s time: “In a world where the rights of women were often trampled on, Christianity brought in a new regard for the dignity of women.” He highlights that husbands are called to cherish their wives not as property but as equal partners in grace.

Matthew Henry further elaborates: “The woman was made out of Adam’s side; she was not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”

Peter’s exhortation to husbands in 1 Peter 3:7 calls for a Christ-like love marked by honor, understanding, and partnership. Husbands are to treat their wives with gentleness and respect, recognizing them as equal heirs of God’s grace. Though physically weaker in some cases, wives are spiritual equals, deserving of the same dignity and care. Paul echoes this in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Such love fosters unity and ensures unhindered prayers, reflecting God’s heart for marriage.

John Stott affirms, “Holiness is not a condition for salvation, but it is the characteristic of those who are saved.” A life marked by godliness and love has the power to draw others to Christ.

4. A Call to Unity and Love (1 Peter 3:8-9; 4:7-9)

Peter lists five virtues that should characterize believers: harmony, sympathy, love, compassion, and humility. Rick Warren observes, “Unity is a witness to the world. When we walk in love and forgiveness, we reflect Christ to others.”

We are also called to live expectantly, knowing Christ’s return is imminent (4:7-9). Love and hospitality are essential marks of readiness. Henri Nouwen writes, “Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend.”

5. Suffering as a Mark of Faithfulness (1 Peter 4:12-19)

Peter teaches that suffering for being a Christian is not shameful but a blessing. He reminds us of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:11: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

Alexander Maclaren adds, “The world may sneer, but God smiles. There is no greater honor than to suffer for His name.” Trusting God in trials refines our faith, as Hebrews 12:7 highlights: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.”

Living Before the World: Final Thoughts

As temporary residents, our lives should reflect the values of our eternal home. N.T. Wright reminds us, “Our task is to bear witness to God’s new creation in the midst of this present world.”

When we live honorably, embrace suffering with faith, and prioritize unity and love, we point others to Christ. As Richard Foster says, “The world is desperate for a people who live what they profess.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

Thank You for calling us to be Your people in this world. Help us to live as faithful witnesses, reflecting Your love, holiness, and grace in all we do. Strengthen us in suffering, guide us in love, and fill us with hope as we await Christ’s return. May our lives bring glory to Your name and lead others to know You. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria

Shattered Sojourners

Strolling with a Stranger

Gang nach Emmaus, Gemalde vin Robert Zund 1877

Reading - Luke 24:13-35

They asked each other

Were not our hearts burning within us

While he talked with us on the road

And opened the Scriptures to us?

Luke 24:32

As two dispirited followers of Jesus return from Jerusalem, a stranger joins them. They seem to be walking and talking away trying to process all the events of the past week. He asks them gently to reveal their sorrows to him (Luke 24:17-18). They wonder if this stranger is the only one who has not heard of Jesus. Yet something about the stranger’s questions makes them open their hearts out to him. So they narrate to him about the crucifixion, death, and burial of their teacher. They go on to say that some of the believers had found the tomb empty and now they believe he has risen from the dead. Resurrection seems so unbelievable they exclaim (Luke 24:19-24). They grieve deeply for their shattered hopes of a Messiah who they thought would save them. 

We wonder what might have gone through Jesus’s mind when he heard their doubts and disbelief. We realize how far and deep our savior’s love is, as he reaches out to followers outside his inner circle. Jesus knew exactly how they felt and chose to join them as they walk back to Emmaus. Is this another instance of where Jesus says I know you will have doubts, but please don’t walk away from the fellowship of believers or the church? Do we not often have similar doubts in our own lives? Jesus’s death only points to the greatest hope there is for all of us who believe.

We wonder to which passages Jesus was referring (Luke 24:25-27). If we look into the Messianic prophesies in the Bible there are so many that point to why he was born, suffered, died and rose again.

The passages from Moses' writings and the prophets elucidate on what the scriptures had to say about the Messiah. Could Jesus have been referring to God’s promise to Abraham that through him the entire world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3)? Was it that the Messiah would come from the Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)? Or that the Messiah would be a descendant of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 89:2,27)? Could Jesus have referred to Psalm 2, used for the coronation of the kings of Israel, as being applied to the coronation of him the chosen one, now King of Heaven and Earth? David clearly foresaw a relationship between a father and son, in God and the Messiah? Did he not also speak of the begotten son as Jesus, as the son of God (Psalm 2:7)? 

Did Jesus speak of his encounter in Mathew 22:41-46, when he confronts the Pharisees with a rhetorical question, “Whose son is the Messiah?” They reply, “The son of David.” When Jesus asks them why David refers to the Messiah as Lord in Psalm 110:1, they were silenced. The Pharisees probably could never conceive that the Messiah, a descendant of David could be the everlasting God in human flesh (Isaiah 9:6). David grasped the plurality of persons in one God.

Did Jesus refer to the Prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)? Prophet Zechariah prophesied the Messiah would come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Could Jesus have referred to Prophet Isaiah  (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) and the role of the suffering servant, where he had to suffer and die? Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is the path he paved to God the Father (John 3:16) and the witness of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 12:10) for all of us who believe. In Psalm 16:10 David says he is filled with great joy that God will not leave his soul among the dead. He says that God would not allow His holy one to rot in the grave. These verses are used by the disciples when they speak about the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2: 25-31). Did not this promise of King David come true when Christ rose from the dead? 

We can imagine the shattered Sojourners strolling along with Jesus, as he speaks to them. As his words roll into their hearts like refreshing steams of living water they become more and more captivated by this stranger who speaks the truth with so much love. His presence makes their weary walk refreshing to their thirsty souls. Although it seems that Jesus has to go further, they invite him to abide with them for a meal, and he obliges (Luke 24:28-29). As Jesus breaks the bread, something about his familiar gestures suddenly illuminates their souls. Jesus disappears but touches their hearts and renews their thoughts by this close encounter(Luke 24:30-32). They ask each other, “As he spoke to us did you not feel your hearts burn?” Immediately they hurry back to Jerusalem, to tell the good news to Jesus’s followers that they have seen the Risen Lord (Luke 24:33-35). Although Jesus disappears from their sight, his presence has softly and tenderly shed his light into their souls. Their story now lives on in the hearts of all of us who have not seen but believe in Jesus Christ (the Messiah in Greek is Khristós (Χριστός), anglicized as  Christ).

Prayer:

 Lord Jesus Christ we praise and glorify you for you have shown us the wonders of your love. When we are weary and lost you hear our cries. Thank you for strengthening and filling our hearts with hope of the world to come. Amen 

Christ in the Stranger's Guise 

A Scottish Hospitality Prayer 

 I met a stranger yest're'een;

 I put food in the eating place, 

Drink in the drinking place, 

Music in the listening place; 

And, in the sacred name of the Triune, 

He blessed myself and my house. 

My cattle and my dear ones, 

 And the lark said in her song, 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stanger's guise; 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.

Soli Deo Gloria

Oaks of Mamre

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: 

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 

Hebrews 13:2 (King James Version)

The Bible takes us to probably a hot sunny afternoon in the life of Abraham when, as he was probably relaxing under the shades of the Oaks of Mamre, he sighted three weary travelers walking towards him. Being a man of faith he sensed God speaking to him through these three strangers. He showed the depth of his love through his hospitality to the strangers. Abraham washed the feet of the feet of the strangers, just like Christ did to the disciples before the last supper 2000 years later. Does Abraham’s hospitality later become a benchmark for the faithful to follow in his footsteps (Hebrews 13:2)? Did Abraham know that the strangers were angels? Or was it on later reflection that he realized that he had unwittingly entertained angels? Yet deep down in his heart was this longing to care for the strangers. Was it because he himself had been a stranger in many places and been recipient to the hospitality of kind souls? Or did the inhospitality of people like those in Sodom and Gomorrah generate in him a need to be kind and loving to strangers? 

 What did St. Paul mean when he said, Abraham is the father of us all (Romans 4:13-16)? God promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:2-3). Abraham’s righteousness was described as being based on his faith and not on the law. For the law only brings forth the wrath of God, while where there is faith there is no transgression. Thus to all who have faith in the God of Abraham the grace of God has been abundantly provided. God called Abraham even before he circumcised himself and his household. Rituals and ceremonies did not have precedence over his faith. They were just outward signs of his inward commitment. God looks at the heart of a person – is it the heart that longs to be close to the Lord and do His will?

 In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said that the Priest and the Levite, both men of God, passed the wounded traveler by. However, the Samaritan’s hospitality was commended, because he showed mercy toward the wounded traveler. Samaritans were considered to be enemies of the Jews, yet it was a Samaritan who tended to the wounds and paid for the lodging and care of the injured traveler (Luke 10: 29 – 37). Jesus said that it is on such as these that the favor of God is said to rest. There is a close correlation between the actions of the Samaritan and Abraham. They both acted expecting nothing in return. They acted although the people involved were strangers. It does not matter whether it was 4000 years ago or 2000 years ago or today, there are always people who are in need. We as Christians are called to do what we can to ease their burdens and provide for their needs. 

 Whatever the emotions may have been that were touching Abraham’s heart, he clearly saw God speaking to him through these strangers. Abraham was greatly blessed for his kind hospitality. The prophecy of the birth of a child was received with mixed emotions. These were the very words of assurance Abraham had been waiting for. Sarah laughed but denied it when questioned about her reason for doing so. Sarah’s denial was received disapprovingly. Fear of discovery has caused countless people to lie. Sarah too, human as she was, lied. Abraham on the other hand, was truthful about the reason for his laughter. For Abraham this was an affirmation of the promise given to him by God earlier in Genesis 17:7, following which he had circumcised all the males in his household including himself and Ishmael. So in his own spiritual realm he felt it was God that was speaking to him through these very strangers. Even though Abraham may have had his doubts (Genesis 17:17) about the promise of a son, he continued to obey God by doing exactly what was asked of him (Genesis 17). Have you found yourself laughing incredulously when you are led by God to do certain acts of faith? This faithful commitment to God made him one of the leading men of righteousness (Romans 4:3). 

 Abraham and Sarah had no children until the ripe old age of almost 100 years and there was very little likelihood of them bearing a child. Yet they stand under the Oaks of Mamre like shinning examples of strength and endurance. They were like Oak trees thriving in the house of God. Their trust was completely in the unfailing love of God forever and ever. We have to realize that God does not place a trial or difficulty that he thinks we cannot handle ourselves. We have to wait for God's mercy and time when He will fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives. The omnipotent power of God is revealed in the question that is posed to Abraham, “Is anything too hard for God?” (Genesis 18:14) This has been the basis for the faith of many who face impossible situations. 

 Who were the strangers? Were they angels? Was Christ one of them (Mathew 25:35-36)? The ability to hear the still small voice of God speaking separates us from the rest of the world. If we listen to God and His word, we can do that which is impossible in the eyes of humans, as all things are possible with God. However, like Sarah, if we doubt, we may never see God’s plan and purpose fulfilled in our lives. Jesus said "Everything is possible for him who believes. (Mark 9:23)" 

 Christ in the Stranger's Guise 

A Scottish Hospitality Prayer 

 I met a stranger yest're'een;

 I put food in the eating place, 

Drink in the drinking place, 

Music in the listening place; 

And, in the sacred name of the Triune, 

He blessed myself and my house. 

My cattle and my dear ones, 

 And the lark said in her song, 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stanger's guise; 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.

Strangers

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: 

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 

Hebrews 13:2 (King James Version)

Abraham was stunned to see three strangers standing in front of him when God came to him by the oaks of Mamre. Was Jesus, the Son of God, one of them? Did they have the disposition of travel weary ordinary men or did they have an angelic demeanor? Abraham asked his servants to wash the stangers' feet and he personally served them their food. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” is how Hebrews 13:2 says we should entertain itinerant Christians who depend on the support of Christian community. Is this not what Jesus reminded us would be His question on Judgment day (Mathew 25:31-46)? There is a profound spiritual dimension to our deeds of kindness and love to those in need, performed in Jesus' name. Abraham's hospitality to total strangers is the heart of the gospel message. 

 The strangers' appearance and their identity have piqued the curiosity of many of God's people for the last thousands of years. When Abraham saw them, he ran to greet them and welcome them into his home. He treated them like visiting royalty and threw them a worthy feast. When they enquired about his wife Sarah, he told them that she was around and in her tent. They then told him that in due time they would return and that Sarah would have a son. Sarah who was listening at the tent entrance, started to laugh. Here they stood, a couple well into their eighties or nineties, and these men were telling them that they would have a child very soon. 

Yet the promise of a child was the greatest blessing the couple had longed for. When the child was born, they named him Isaac, which means laughter. Yet in the midst of the good news, they also conveyed some bad news to the couple. They said that Sodom and Gomorah would be destroyed. The decadent lifestyle and inhospitability of these cities had upset God tremendously. Abraham was shocked and pleaded for the people and the cities. Knowing that his nephew lived there, he prayed to God to spare the city if there were at least 50, later 45, and finally 10 righteous people living there. Listening to God and Abraham negotiate, we are thankful that our God is compassionate and merciful. He is always waiting for us to return to Him and seek His forgiveness. We are glad that we can approach Him with our prayers and petitions. 

 Abraham's nephew, Lot, was probably the only one in the two cities who knew about God. Yet he was so in love with the city that at first he was not willing to listen to the warning of the three strangers. Sin had overrun this city. The men of the city were so far gone that they even craved for carnal relations with the three strangers. Finally as the city was being destroyed the three men had to drag Lot and his family away from the city. The family's love and attachment to the city was so intense that Lot's wife turned to look at the city as it burned down, although the three men had expressly forbidden them from doing so. She was turned into a salt statue for her disobedience. Lot and his two daughters escaped, only to go back into their sinful ways. 

 Do we, like Lot, find ourselves so absorbed in our own lives that we have no time to think and reflect on whether our attachment to our material possessions is greater than our love for God? Are we in awe of God's Word and His commands? Although Lot's behavior was far from perfect, God still delivered Lot. The judgment on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah was probably executed by completely natural means, but it is stunning that Abraham has recorded the incident as God working out His purposes. What do we understand about the nature of God from this incident? When Lot was told of the coming fiery judgment of God why did he continue to linger in the city? He had to be physically dragged away from the city. Do you think Lot feared being consumed by the punishment of God?

Christ in a Stranger’s Guise, 

I met a stranger yest’re’een;

I put food in the eating place,

Drink in the drinking place,

Music in the listening place;

And, in the sacred name of the Triune,

He blessed myself and my house,

My cattle and my dear ones,

And the lark said in her song,

Often, often, often,

Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise;

Often, often, often,

Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise

(A Celtic poem of hospitality)

Road to Emmaus

Gang nach Emmaus, Gemalde vin Robert Zund 1877

Reading - Luke 24:13-35

They asked each other

Were not our hearts burning within us

While he talked with us on the road

And opened the Scriptures to us?

Luke 24:32

Jesus met two of his followers who were traveling along the road to Emmaus, going away from Jerusalem thoroughly disheartened over the series of macabre events that had taken place. Jesus joined them in their travel. He asked them why they were so sad and dejected. They were so overwhelmed with sorrow that they could not see that they were walking and talking with Jesus. They looked at Jesus strangely and asked him if he was new to the area. They said that a great teacher, admired by God and men had been arrested, crucified and buried. They had thought he was the Messiah, but he had been brutally killed. Do we see Jesus only as a good teacher but not the Messiah? The travelers had heard that some of the believers had found the tomb empty and had said that Jesus had risen from the dead. 

 Jesus looked at them in wonder. Here were two men who had heard the Good news that the angels proclaimed, “Jesus is alive,” but they had decided that it was unlikely. They were going away toward Emmaus dejected and sad. Did they realize they were walking away toward the sunset with Jesus by their side, in the wrong direction? To them the Son of God was dead. How many of us hear the good news yet turn our backs to the truth and walk away because we find it inconceivable? Do we encounter Christ on our life journeys but do not recognize him because of our own spiritual blindness? Jesus called them foolish people. He asked them if they found it hard to believe in the prophets? He reminded them that the prophets had said that the Messiah had to suffer before being crowned King. 

Then Jesus quoted passages from Moses' writings, and all the prophets, elucidating to them what the scriptures had to say. Could Jesus have been referring to God’s promise to Abraham that through him the entire world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3)? Was it not Jesus’ coming, being a blessing to the world, that God was referring to here? Could Jesus have referred to Psalm 2, used for the coronation of the kings of Israel and could also be applied to the coronation of the Messiah as King of Heaven and Earth? David clearly foresaw a relationship between a father and son, in God and the Messiah? Did Jesus refer to his encounter with the Pharisees in Mathew 22:41-46, when the Jesus asked Pharisees, “Whose son is the Messiah?” They replied He was David’s son. But when Jesus asked them why David referred to him as Lord in Psalm 110:1, they could not answer. The Pharisees probably could not conceive that the Messiah, a descendant of David could be God himself. 

Do we have a problem in seeing the only begotten son, Jesus as the son of God? Could Jesus have referred to Isaiah 53 and the role of the suffering servant, where he had to suffer and die? In Psalm 16:10 David prophesies and is filled with great joy that God will not leave his soul among the dead. He says that God would not allow His holy one to rot in the grave. This verse was often quoted when the disciples spoke about the resurrection of Christ. Did not this promise of King David come true when Christ rose from the dead? 

Following this long discussion, they stopped to rest for a while as it was late. When Jesus broke bread with them, suddenly their eyes were opened. Jesus disappeared, but their faith had been reignited. They asked each other, “As he spoke to us did you not feel your hearts burn?” They hurried back to Jerusalem to tell Jesus’ followers about their encounter. “Do we go down our own Road of Emmaus where we turn our backs to God’s message?”