14 Let God’s Light Shine 1 Peter 3:1-9

1. LETGod’s Light Shine1 Peter 3:1-9

2. 1 Peter 3:1 NET In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands. Then, even if some are disobedient to the word, they will be won over without a word by the way you live, 2 when they see your pure and reverent conduct. 3 Let your beauty not be external — the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes — 4 but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in God's sight.

3. 5 For in the same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands, 6 like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.

4. 7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers. 8 Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble. 9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing.

5. 1 Peter 3:1 NET In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands. Then, even if some are disobedient to the word, they will be won over without a word by the way you live, 2when they see your pure and reverent conduct.

6. Margaret Thatcher became the prime minister of England in 1979. While she and her family were moving into the prime minister’s residence, a reporter was interviewing her husband. Probing for a sign of jealousy, a reporter asked Mr. Thatcher, “Who wears the pants in this house?”Mr. Thatcher replied “I wear the pants in this house. And I also wash and iron them and fold them, and do whatever else Mrs. Thatcher wants!”

7. He, Peter, proceeds now to another instance of subjection, and bids wives to be subject to their husbands. And as those seemed to have some pretense for shaking off the yoke, who were united to unbelieving men, he expressly reminds them of their duty, and brings forward a particular reason why they ought the more carefully to obey, even that they might by their probity allure their husbands to the faith.

8. But if wives ought to obey ungodly husbands, with much more promptness ought they to obey, who have believing husbands. But it may seem strange that Peter should say, that a husband might be won over without a word; for why is it said, that “faith comes from what is heard?” Romans 10:17 NETConsequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.

9. To this I reply, that Peter’s words are not to be so understood as though a holy life alone could lead the unbelieving to Christ, but that it softens and pacifies their minds, so that they might have less dislike to religion; for as bad examples create offenses, so good ones afford no small help. Then Peter shews that wives by a holy and pious life could do so much as to prepare their husbands, without speaking to them on religion, to embrace the faith of Christ.

10. For minds, however alienated from the true faith, are subdued, when they see the good conduct of believers; for as they understood not the doctrine of Christ, they form an estimate of it by our life. It cannot, then, be but that they will commend Christianity, which teaches purity and fear. (CalCom)

11. A new convert to Christ had a great burden for her husband. “May I suggest to you how you may win him?” I asked. Of course she was eager to know. “Return home and just love your husband. Be a sweetheart to him. If there is a certain kind of roast he likes better than any other kind, be sure he has it often. If he is especially fond of a certain kind of pie, bake it for him.

12. If there are certain things about the keeping of the home that he especially appreciates, be sure these are not neglected. Do everything possible to please him, without compromising your allegiance to God. In other words, just do everything you can to demonstrate real love for him.”

13. About ten days later a man came to see me. He said, “Mr. Coon, I’ve got the most wonderful wife in all the world since she joined your church! Tell me more about it.” (Path to the Heart, Glenn A. Coon, C 1958 by Review and Herald Publishing Association)

14. Matthew 5:14 NET You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. 15People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

15. Christianity is something which is meant to be seen. As someone has well said, "There can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys the secrecy." A man's Christianity should be perfectly visible to all men. There are two most important things here.

16. Men are to see your good deeds. In Greek there are two words for good. There is the word agathos(<G18>) which simply defines a thing as good in quality; there is kalos(<G2570>) which means that a thing is not only good, but that it is also winsome and beautiful and attractive. The word which is used here is kalos(<G2570>).

17. The good deeds of the Christian must be not only good; they must be also attractive. There must be a certain winsomeness in Christian goodness. The tragedy of so much so-called goodness is that in it there is an element of hardness and coldness and austerity. There is a goodness which attracts and a goodness which repels. There is a charm in true Christian goodness which makes it a lovely thing.

18. It is further to be noted that our good deeds ought to draw attention, not to ourselves, but to God. This saying of Jesus is a total prohibition of what someone has called "theatrical goodness." The light which can be seen, the light which warns, the light which guides, these are the lights which the Christian must be. (DSB)

19. I was cleaning out a drawer when I found a flashlight I hadn't used in over a year. I flipped the switch but wasn't surprised when it gave no light. I unscrewed it and shook it to get the batteries out, but they wouldn't budge. Finally, after some effort, they came loose. What a mess!

20. Battery acid had corroded the entire inside of the flashlight. The batteries were new when I'd put them in, and I'd stored them in a safe, warm place. But there was one problem. Those batteries weren't made to be warm and comfortable. You and I were made to be "turned on" - to put our love to work, to apply our patience in difficult, trying situations - to let our light shine.

21. CammyFranzese is a woman who stood by her man to a degree that would make even Tammy Wynette flinch if she were still alive. But by greeting his shortcomings with – now keep an open mind, ladies – love and prayer, she managed to change him.

22. CammyFranzese is the reason her husband Michael Franzese – a.k.a. “The Yuppie Don” – became the first high ranking member of the Mafia to publicly walk away from a life of crime and into a life of Little League coaching and churchgoing. And if she can do that, there’s still hope that you can help your man walk away from a life of crumbs on the counter.

23. Cammy grew up in Anaheim, California, one of seven children born to Irma Garcia, a devout churchgoer, and Seferino Garcia. She graduated from Anaheim High in 1981. While studying dance at Cal State Fullerton, she got a chance to go to Miami as a back-up dancer on the set of the movie “Knights of the City.”

24. It was there in 1984 that she met Michael Franzese, the producer of the movie. He was young and handsome – and 11 years older, to her dismay. But he was sweet. He told her he was Catholic and had once been an altar boy. He didn’t tell her that he had already escaped five white-collar crime indictments. Or that he was “heir apparent” in the Colombo family.

25. Cammy returned to Anaheim when the movie finished shooting, but their relationship continued. One day not long after, Mike’s friend Frankie called: Mike had been arrested, something about tax evasion. At this point she still thought her boyfriend was just your average businessman. While the New York papers were having a field day with the Mob charges, it wasn’t making headlines in California.

26. When Michael made bail he flew out to the West Coast and told Cammy he wanted to spend his life with her. The day after their engagement party, he was acquitted. They married that July in Beverly Hills and bought condos on Long Island and in Brentwood. Cammy gave birth to a baby girl.

27. But the good times didn’t last long. When their daughter was 7 months old, Michael was indicted for racketeering. This time he went to prison. That same year he was listed as the youngest capo on Fortune magazine’s 1986 chart of “The 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses,” according to a Life Magazine article. He was 33.

28. “It was a blessing that I was young and idealistic and naïve at the time,” Cammy says. She didn’t ask her husband questions, fearing she would hear something she didn’t want to. She didn’t read newspapers. Or watch the news. Instead, over the next four years, she visited him every weekend – and prayed for him.

29. Cammy’s mother counseled her to forgive him and shared her vision. “He’s going to speak to millions,” she told her. “And she was so right. My mother was just so loving and forgiving and she believed in second chances and transformation and miracles,” Cammy says.

30. Well, Michael finally came home four years later. Law enforcement wanted him to testify against his “associates.” He wouldn’t do it. They threatened to throw him back in prison for a parole violation. He wouldn’t budge. One morning, after 18 months of freedom, he was back in prison. By now they had two children. Money was tight so Cammy gave up the house with the elevator and nine bathrooms in Brentwood for a condo in Westwood.

31. “I just thought ‘Oh, my gosh, I can’t do this again.’ I was angry. Michael was still living for Michael.” But she still loved him. “I used to get on my knees and pray that God would protect him and change his heart ... and make him the husband and the father he needs to be.... And bring him home.” Back behind bars, the Yuppie Don broke. “My heart hurt so much that night, it was the kinda pain I remember,” Michael says. “That night I had nothing but enemies.”

32. A prison guard walked up and pushed a Bible through the slot. It fell on the floor. Michael threw it against the wall. Then he reconsidered. “Ya know, I’ve got everyone in the world mad at me, I don’t need God mad at me.” He opened the Bible. It fell on Proverbs 16:7. “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord even his enemies are at peace with him.”

33. He had let down his wife once again. “My life was in direct contradiction to everything that she was about and believed in,” he says. He remembered back when they first met and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and how pretty she was, as she talked to him about God. “Honestly, that didn’t really appeal to me at the time,” he says. “She could have been talking about anything. I was being polite. I wasn’t listening.”

34. Now he was listening. “I loved her madly,” he says. “I think the main thing is, she knew that I would do anything for her.” So finally he did. Michael Franzese renounced his life of crime. Behind bars, he granted an interview to Life Magazine. When “Quitting the Mafia” hit newsstands in 1987 the Warden called him into his office. “Franzese, do you have a death wish?” he asked.

35. “There’s an old saying that the only way to leave the Mafia is in a coffin,” the Life article began. Michael was willing to take his chances. During his four years in the hole this second time around he read the Bible inside out and upside down. When he got out, the FBI came knocking. “You claimed you turned your life around, prove it,” they told him. They asked him to be in a video to warn young athletes not to be sucked into organized crime’s web of game fixing.

36. His videos led to speaking engagements. Today he travels the country, visiting colleges and churches, sharing his story. “Had I not met Cammy, I am certain I wouldn’t have taken the path I took and I would probably be dead or in prison,” he tells them. Complete strangers have heard more about his double-dealings than wife has. “To this day, I’ve never sat down and discussed my past life with her,” he said. And she has never asked for details.

37. Michael has written two books, “Quitting the Mob” in 1991 and “Blood Covenant” in 2003. She hasn’t read a single page. “There’s probably a lot of things in there I don’t want to know about. I see it when he’s sleeping and tossing and turning. I can imagine it. I don’t need to see it in black and white.”

38. She remembers in the days after her husband got out of prison. “Every now and again someone would ask, ‘Are you fearful for your life or your children’s life?’ And I’d think, ‘Oh my God. Why should I be fearful?’” Occasionally Cammy will join her husband and speak publicly to married couples about how they held it together.

39. “It’s definitely easier to say I didn’t sign up for this and walk away,” she will tell them. “But whatever his old life was, it doesn’t matter, because that’s not the man he is today. I’m married to this man and I’m in love with this man.” I'd rather see a Christian than hear one any day, I'd rather have one walk with me than simply show the way,

40. The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear, Fine counsel is confusing but example's always clear, And the best of all the preachers are the ones who live their creed, For to see the good in action, that's what everybody needs.

41. I can soon learn how to do it if you'll let me see it done, I can watch your hand in action but your tongue too fast might run. And the sermons you deliver may be very wise and true, But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do,

42. For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give, But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. I'd rather see a Christian than hear one any day! As I was thinking of my life today Wondering what I will do or say I Want you to see Jesus in me.

43. I go so many places and faces I see Do I honor my Lord or allow Him to flee I want you to see Jesus in me A small boy touched my life today He looked and smiled but had nothing to say I smiled back and gave him a "hi" I want you to see Jesus in me

44. Jesus would smile at all of the folks He would not discriminate ,oh no Jesus would be kind, considerate and smile I want you to see Jesus in me Many times there is a heartache in me Oh I hope that is not what others see I want you to see Jesus in me May God bless you my friend Sarah Berthelson folks@berthelson.com

45. A little old Jewish lady is flying out of New York City on her way to Miami Beach. She looks at the businessman sitting next to her and asks him, "Excuse me sir, but are you Jewish?" The man responds politely, "No, ma'am, I'm not Jewish." After a little while she again queries him. "You're really Jewish, aren't you?" Again he responds, "No, ma'am, I am not Jewish."

46. Barely 10 minutes later, the little old lady asks him once more, "Are you sure you're not Jewish?" To which, in exasperation and in a final effort to shut her up, he replies, "OK. Yes, ma'am, I am Jewish." "Funny," she says, looking puzzled. "You don't look Jewish!"

47. Makes me wonder. If anyone approached me and asked me, "Are you a Christian?" and I answered, "Yes", would they be inclined to say, "Funny, you don't look like a Christian"? I'm not talking about looking like the world's stereotype of a Christian -- a sour-looking guy with a scowl on his face, not enjoying life at all.

48. I merely wonder if my Christianity is something that can be seen by the people who see me every day. I know what I believe, but is that belief translating into action? Can anyone tell?

49. Matthew 5:14 NET You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven. Do you look like a Christian? (Alan Smith thought-for-the-day-subscribe@egroups.comwww.TFTD-online.com)

50. 3Let your beauty not be external — the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes — 4 but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in God's sight. In a box in a jewelry store there were precious stones, sapphires, and diamonds; the beryl and the amethyst; and many others.

51. Right in the center, according to the story, was a common looking pebble, and a man said to the clerk, "Why do you have that pebble there? If you saw it on the floor you would pick it up and throw it out the window." The clerk took the stone out of the box and said, "You do not know the beauty of this stone"; he held it and in two or three minutes you could not see the stone, but instead, all the colors of the rainbow,

52. moving in such rapid succession they would almost dazzle you; but when the stone got cold the colors would vanish. You might place that stone on the windowsill on the hottest day and it would have no effect on it, but it would respond to peculiar moisture of the human hand to bring out its beauty. That is what happens when we lie passively in the hand of God. All the beauty that is in us shows.

53. 5 For in the same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands, 6 like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.

54. who hoped in God… There is a subtle indication in this that the position of Christian women to whom Peter wrote is superior to that enjoyed by the wives of the mighty patriarchs who merely "hoped" in God, whereas the Christians, having received the precious promises which their predecessors had only hoped for, were the actual possessors of the glorious gospel and all of its spiritual endowments. (Coffman)

55. A woman can trust her ability to influence and control her husband, or she can trust God and be submissive. A woman can trust her outward adornment, or she can trust God and cultivate a gentle and tranquil spirit. It all comes back to trust in God, so she should be like theholy women who hoped in God.

56. when you do what is good and have no fear: True submission, full of faith in God, has no room for fear or terror. It does good and leaves the result to God, not man. “do what is good” reminds us that true submission is not a sulking surrender to authority. It is an active embrace of God’s will, demonstrating trust in Him. (Guzik)

57. 7Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers. Perhaps you've heard the story of Johnny Lingo, a man who lived in the South Pacific. The islanders all spoke highly of him. He was strong, good-looking, and very intelligent. But when it came time for him to find a wife, people shook their heads in disbelief.

58. The woman Johnny chose was plain, skinny, and walked with her shoulders hunched and her head down. She was very hesitant and shy. She was also a bit older than the other married women in the village, which did nothing for her value. But this man loved her. What surprised everyone most was Johnny's offer. In order to obtain a wife, you paid for her by giving her father cows. Four to six cows was considered a high price.

59. The other villagers thought he might pay two or even three cows at the most. But he gave eight cows for her!! Everyone chuckled about it, since they believed his father-in-law put one over on him. Some thought it was a mistake. Several months after the wedding, a visitor from the United States came to the Islands to trade and heard the story of Johnny Lingo and his eight-cow wife.

60. Upon meeting Johnny and his wife the visitor was totally taken aback, since this wasn't a shy, plain, and hesitant woman, but one who was beautiful, poised, and confident. The visitor asked about this transformation, and Johnny Lingo's response was very simple. “I wanted an eight-cow woman, and when I paid that for her and treated her in that fashion, she began to believe that she was an eight-cow woman.

61. She discovered she was worth more than any other woman in the islands. “And what matters most is what a woman thinks of herself.” (Wit And Wisdom at http://www.witandwisdom.org by Richard G. Wimer) Eric Snyder, minister of the Farwell Church of Christ, tells this story: I recently did a wedding. During the wedding rehearsal, the groom pulled me aside and made me an offer.

62. He said, “Look, I’ll give you $100 if you’ll change the wedding vows. When you get to me and the part where I’m to promise to ’love, honor and obey,’ I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave that part out.” He gave me a $100 bill and walked away. The day of the wedding the bride and groom were in front of me and we were to that part of the ceremony where the vows are exchanged.

63. When it came time for the groom’s vows, I looked at the young man and said “Will you promise to bow down before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?”

64. The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, “Yes.” Then He leaned in and asked, “What happened? I thought we had a deal.” So I gave him his 100 dollars back and told him that she had made a better offer. (Eric A. Snyder, Minister, Farwell Church of Christ, in “A Friend Like That” on www.sermoncentral.com.)

65. Has life lost a little zip or snap? Please don’t be like the guy who said, “Every week my wife and I go to a nice restaurant and enjoy a really good meal — she goes on Tuesday, I go on Friday.” Some zip is obviously lost in that relationship. Some lives and some relationships may have lost some snap. If you open a bottle of soda pop in time it loses its fizz and goes flat.

66. Your life and your relationships with others can also go flat if you don’t give them proper care. An open sody-pop needs to be properly re-sealed and refrigerated. An open rift in a relationship needs to be re-sealed with God’s love and care and then preserved with the Grace only God can provide. Rather potent advice, isn’t it? Let’s live by it.

67. 8Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble. 9Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing.

68. The Sequoia trees of California are spectacular, towering as much as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these towering trees have unusually shallow root systems that spider out just under the surface of the ground to catch as much of the surface moisture they can.

69. And this is their vulnerability. Storms with heavy winds would almost always bring these giants crashing to the ground but this rarely happens because they grow in clusters and their intertwining roots provide support for one another against the storms.

70. When we are together, either as a family or a church, we provide this same support. Pain and suffering come to all of us. But, just like those giant Sequoia trees, we can be supported in those difficult times by the touch of one another's lives. The knowledge that we have someone; that we are not alone; that there is someone who is willing to touch us, hold us, keeps us from being destroyed. (Brett Blair, eSermons.com, June, 2003)

71. A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor's office. After his checkup, the doctor called the wife into his office alone. He said, “Your husband is suffering from a very severe disease, combined with some horrible stress. If you don't do the following, your husband will surely die. “Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast. Be pleasant, and make sure he is in a good mood. For lunch, make him a nutritious meal.

72. For dinner, prepare an especially nice meal for him. DON'T burden him with chores, as he probably had a hard day. DON'T discuss your problems with him. It will only make his stress worse. And MOST importantly, make love with your husband several times a week and satisfy HIS every whim. If you can do this for the next 10 months to a year, I think your husband will regain his health completely.”

73. On the way home, the husband asked his wife: “What did the doctor say?” “You're going to die,” she replied. It's not easy learning to serve others. Do the people you come in contact with even have a hint you’re a Christian? Let the LIGHT OF GOD SHINE IN YOUR LIFE!