"You Can't Do Your Own Thing All The Time"

There are many different reactions to the title of this article and most are probably negative. How do you react when someone says you can't do something? Most of us respond, "Nobody tells me what to do and I don't do anything I don't want to do." And yet, the ability to be able to deny our desires and do what is most important for someone other than ourselves is fundamental to being able to live together. More importantly, it is an essential characteristic of the Christian life.

We don't like the words "submit" and "submission", but they are words we come across frequently in the Bible and they are used to describe how the follower of Jesus Christ lives in this world. In our continuing study of the Apostle Peter's first letter we encounter a brief exposition on Christian submission in a decisively non-Christian society. Peter does not describe this kind of submission as something particularly pleasant, but it is absolutely necessary in our witnessing of the difference Jesus Christ makes in our lives.

We live in an age which bristles at the sound of the word "submit". For an individual to not get what he/she desires is thought to be the main reason for unhappiness. And yet, no society can last if there is not a willingness for individuals to make sacrifices for the group. What makes Christian submission unique is not only that we understand the importance of denying ourselves for the good of others, but our God is the ultimate example of submission. He submitted himself to the cross so that we might live with him forever. He calls us now to imitate him as he works his will in this world through our lives. Isn't that just a little more important than getting our way?