Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 310
298
IMMERSE
•
MESSIAH
2:17–3:7
you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect
the king.
You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do
what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even
if they are cruel. For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being
patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good
and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ
suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.
Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands.
Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will
speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing
your pure and reverent lives.
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead
with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle
and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women
of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her
husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when
you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat
your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than
