More Than Just a Tip of Your Hat

“Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world.” --1 Peter 2: 12

When I read that verse I start wonder how the second part will take place if I don’t even know my neighbors. I think there is an implication here that we live honorable lives that point people to God and that we live those lives while having some relationship with an unbelieving world. The impact of Suburbia has many of us driving home in our neighborhoods, opening the garage door and closing it behind us and never knowing a single person near us.

For many of us it took a natural disaster like Hurricane Ike for use to make a connection with the people near us that we didn’t know. We shouldn’t wait until the next hurricane or black out takes place for us to do more than nod to the people around us. Because the fact is there is a spiritual disaster going on. We have lost people all around us going to hell and we block them out on a daily basis. Let’s get to know people that we are around. Let’s show them the love us Christ now, no matter how they respond. Peter says if we live that kind of life, those nonbelievers will believe and will give honor to God.