What we say and do in times of adversity can have more impact than what we say and do when all is going well. Times of suffering can be perfect opportunities to bear witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Peter continues his emphasis on voluntary subjection. In chapter three he turns his attention to the relationship between husbands and wives. He finishes the passage with a promise of God’s blessing: the goal of the submissive life.
In this passage we will hear Peter’s instructions regarding the Christian attitude toward authority – and it is extremely instructive to us. Writing from Rome, and living under the tyranny of a maniac who would later literally crucify him, he tells us to submit.
We live in a society that values individualism and independence. We live in an age that is perhaps the most individualistic ever. For God’s children, independence is not the ideal toward which we strive. When Christians grow properly, they don’t grow alone.
Central Reflections 