Daily Devotion

Christians are not permanent residents on earth; they are on their way to the country which is beyond. They must, therefore, do nothing that would keep them from reaching their ultimate goal. They must never become so entangled in the world that they cannot escape its grip; they must never so soil themselves as to be unfit to enter the presence of the Holy God to whom they are going.

 

To modern ears, the Authorized Version can be a little misleading. It speaks about “having your conversation honest among the Gentiles.” That sounds as if it only means that the Christian must always speak the truth, but the word translated conversation means a person’s whole conduct, not simply their talk. That is what conversation meant in the seventeenth century. So, what Peter is saying is that the Christian must make his whole way of life so lovely and so good to look upon that the slanders of his heathen enemies may be demonstrated to be false. 

 

Here is a timeless truth. Whether we like it or not, every Christian is an advertisement for Christianity; by his life, he either commends it to others or makes them think less of it. The strongest missionary force in the world is a Christian life.