"In the same way, you husbands ought to..."

Yesterday I attended Kenmore's Northshore Church. I've been there a few times and really like it. Pastor Steve spoke on 1 Peter 3, a passage that goes against our culture in asking wives to respect the authority of their husband.

What caught my eye? The little phrase prefacing instructions to husbands: "In the same way, you husbands ought to..."

What did Peter say? "In the same way as..." Peter has just instructed wives to live with respect and humility, not relying on outward beauty nor flashy appearances but on her quiet, meek spirit. Those beautiful attitudes form godly behaviors.

A male loud-mouth, revving his muscle car, preening with tailor-cut suits, handmade shoes, or custom golf clubs, one who emphasizes status at work -- a guy who gets jazzed about his "best barbecue" skills and other displays of one-upmanship -- does not reflect the spirit Peter encourages in men and women.

Over the years, I've heard apologetic sermons, excuses of "culture was different back then," and other explanations about Peter's intentions and God's mission for women.

Steve did a good job of showing how the respect a woman shows her husband, especially when her position is culturally powerless, would help him to note the transforming power of following Christ. "Back then, a man coming to Christ would bring his family into the faith. A woman would have no such power. But her changed behavior would show her husband and the whole family the difference Christ makes in us."

In today's culture where gender equality is a hot button, a man with strength, meekness, humility, and respect for others stands out as much a woman with the same qualities.

Only Christ can produce such a transformation in us. Our natural tendency is to "look out for ourselves" and act with self-interest.

Jesus, through Peter's letter, encourages us to move beyond cultural norms to reflect his humble character and the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). 

Read more:

*Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 NIV

*Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:1-10 NIV 

Leadership genius

King David's name is familiar to anyone who has read the Bible. Kids who know Bible stories have heard of the teenager who felled a seasoned warrior - a giant at that - with a well-placed stone flying from his sling.

Off the top of my head, I think of David as:

• shepherd boy, defending the flock from lion and bear
• killer of Goliath, with a faith that is both bold and innocent
• younger brother of soldiers, eager to get the scoop on battlefront news
• musician and composer, harpist, singer, poet, and dancer
• leader of a rebels, living on the run in the hills
• replacement for a disobedient king
• polygamist and adulterer
• schemer and strategist
• someone who came from a simple life to extravagance and leadership perks

I am always surprised to read that God considered this flawed man his friend. We'd never elect him to a church board or (horror of horrors) let him pastor a church or lead a denomination. He wasn't of the priestly class in his day, either. He was a warrior of his time, accepting as his due the privileges of clan chief - the right to servants, wives, and wealth. Because David's reign was so bloody, God refused him his desire to build a temple.

Something I rarely connect with David is his genius for leadership. He had the charisma and skill to attract rough outcasts into a band of brothers, complete with families and belongings. Later, he united tribes with little in common into a strong nation.

Reading 1 Chronicles 23-27 is eye-opening. Near the end of  David's reign, the details of the king's wealth are impressive. But my eye is caught by the men listed as overseers. These "mighty men" and strong-willed, gifted leaders reported to the king and did the king's business. Even when his personal life became a mess, when his children were indulged and spoiled, when political turmoil ousted him for a season, the administration of his dominion ran like clockwork.

It's easy to assume that God is blessing a ministry or business when it's running smoothly and money is flowing. Inexplicably, God gifts some for leadership of tens, hundreds, thousands, and beyond.

When God blesses with leadership genius, the person must work extremely hard to stay centered on the core values of integrity and friendship with God. Without character, success goes to one's head, destroying a gifted leader with a wash of self-indulgence and dissipation.

W and I were talking about how hard it is to finish a life well. It seems even more challenging for those who start gloriously and achieve a lot early on.

A good name is more valuable than riches, said the sage. It's a good idea to guard our hearts and reputations even more zealously in seasons of success than in times of anonymity or struggle. 

Read more:

*Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

*Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT

*What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:1-4 NIV

A good reputation

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

~ John Wooden

USA culture used to be based on a man or woman's word, and a handshake as a firm promise in business or personal life. In a BBC article, all kinds of factors were cited decrying the demise of the United States as a nation that other countries admired. There was banking failure, overspending and military interference, and all the usual hot buttons pressed by international peers.

But I was struck more by the positive things that made this nation great. A belief in opportunity, the value of the person next door as a friend and brother, and legal and moral systems built on Judao-Christian faiths. As those eroded through moral devaluation, corruption, political maneuvering, and wealth disbursement back to the rich, new values emerged: "free" love, looking out for #1, and the one with the most toys wins, among others. Others lost their respect for us as we became selfish and self-centered.

Christians build character by looking always to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We compare ourselves to him, not to the world around us. It's hard to stay focused in a materialistic world, where getting brings more prestige than being.

But we stand out among our friends and acquaintances with good reputations, not by being slightly better than others, but by being different. Honest. Kind. Loving. Even when telling the truth is to our detriment. Or when kindness costs us ease. Or when love demands sacrifice. In other words, our reputation must be built on sound character.

That's the kind of reputation I'm interested in having. How about you?

Read more:
*And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there nor will any ferocious beast get up on it they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return.They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:8-10 NIV 


*Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 NIV