Life isn't fair (almost done)

Are ya still hanging in there? Still with me? This is an intense week of study, to be sure, and I hope y'all are still reading and thinking along with me....

I hope you have your Bible open to our focus passage, I Peter 2: 18-23. And if you have a couple of translations, open those, too. Might come in handy, today!
Today we are going to look at our motives for submission when life isn't fair. We've touched on these already, but Peter has more to tell us.
See where Peter says, "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect,"? Some translations say "with all fear."  Now, I don't think that he meant that the slaves should be afraid of their masters, nor do I think we should be afraid of our employers, in today's world. If we look back to the previous verse, Peter made a large distinction between fearing God and honoring the king (or emperor).  So when he says to be submissive with all fear, I think he is pointing back toward that relationship with God.
Here's a clue to why I believe that's the case: twice in our passage Peter says that submitting to unjust treatment finds favor with, or pleases God. He is echoing the teachings of Jesus in Luke....

And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  (Luke 6:33-35) 

The same Greek word is used there....in I Peter it's translated "favor" while in Luke it's translated "what credit." The idea is that God gives grace (the same Greek word again!) to the humble -- not to the defiant, the assertive, or the self-reliant. If we defy and authority that God has placed over us, we are in effect defying Him. So, being conscious of God, we should seek to submit to please Him, and trust Him to deal with the unjust authority.
One practical application of this is to consciously recognize that we don't work primarily for our employer; we work for God.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

If we keep this in mind, and pray that we will be good representatives of Christ on our job and elsewhere, we will be seeking to please God first.
We've talked about another motive for submission -- that is to bear witness to the lost. Peter was addressing the slaves on the surface, and a slave's response to her master had far-reaching implications in that day. There were millions of slaves: men, women, even kids. If Christian slaves were defiant against their masters, the critics could have (and likely would have) accused Christianity of stirring up rebellion. I can see the drama now..... "They are undermining the whole fabric of our society!" So, the theme of witnessing to a pagan world is an important point in this passage, as in Peter's whole letter.
In verse 21, Peter reminds us of Christ's suffering for us. His unjust suffering was what secured our salvation. In a similar way, if we suffer unjustly, it can lead to the salvation of unbelievers if they see the character of Jesus in us. The attitude we show as we struggle for our rights communicates things to the world. Having the right attitude communicates the truth of our being pilgrims on our way to heaven!
Whether we are being treated unfairly at work, or at church, or anywhere else, we may be looking at a tremendous opportunity to be a witness for Christ by our behavior.  If we yield our rights in a Christlike manner, people will notice. They might wonder why, and maybe we'll get an opportunity to tell them. Our words will be backed up by our behavior, and we will have demonstrated powerfully our desire to please God.
One more thing before we close today......there is an interesting word in verse 21, and I wanted to pause and show it to you:

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (I Peter 2:21)

The word that is translated "example" here is literally "underwriting." It's a school word.  Teachers used to lightly trace the letters of the alphabet so that students could write over them to learn how to write. Or, like in our day, teachers put examples of the alphabet up in the room, perhaps on the blackboard, for students to look at. They look carefully and then form their letters on their own papers. Christ is that kind of example for us.....if we follow how He lived, we will form our lives correctly.
When Peter says follow "in His steps" it makes me think of when our kids would go out with their dad in the snow. They would step in his footprints -- where he went, they went, because they put their feet into those footprints. We are to follow our Savior and Lord in the same way. Peter says that we are called to the same purpose as Christ, so if our Lord's footprints led to the cross, and His suffering unjustly, we can expect to die to self and perhaps suffer unjust treatment, too. If we respond as He did, people will see Him in us. Remember we've said that many people will never open a Bible and read, but they do watch our lives. They should see Christ there, not the same defiant spirit and selfishness that they see in others.....they see defiance and self-will in those who are living for themselves, or for the things of this world. We live for Him; let them see Him in us!