1 Peter 2

As I have been riding across the US I see signs of COVID restrictions lifting in some areas and not so much in others. Mainly I am speaking of wearing a mask, some fuel stops and store have signs that say “Mask Required” other have none. The other thing I found interesting was the level of folks so willing to ignore these business owner’s practices yet demand to be served.

On at least two occasions when clerks asked someone to “please mask up” because it was local policy” they were met with a flurry of curse words. One such individual had a little fish symbol on the back of their truck as they sped away.

Christian behavior, I think not, I personally HATE these mask mandates, I think they are stupid and science does not support them. That being said, nothing that these local stores are doing goes against the Word of God, and as our text above notes, my job is quite simple. Follow the rules or go somewhere else.

Submission to authority is a hard pill for many “Christians” to swallow these days, but it one that the Bible is quite clear we must until it violates the law of God.

So how do we express our displeasure with the current mask mandates and other seemingly totalitarian government rules? John MacArthur’s Devotional for today has an answer:

The world doesn’t need another opinion—it needs God’s absolute and authoritative Word!

Speaking the Truth in Love (John)

The twelve apostles included “John” (Matt. 10:2).

Seek to maintain a proper balance between truth and love

Some people picture John as overly sentimental and egotistical, lying with his head on Jesus’ shoulder and constantly referring to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But that’s not an accurate characterization of one of the “Son of thunder”! He loved Jesus deeply and was amazed that Jesus loved him—especially after he wanted to burn up the Samaritans and then secure a prominent place for himself in Christ’s kingdom. Calling himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (e.g., John 21:20) was simply his way of marvelling over God’s grace in his life.

As much as he loved Jesus, John never allowed his love to deteriorate into mere sentimentalism. In fact, the proper balance between truth and love is the hallmark of his ministry. In his writings we find the word love more than eighty times and witness nearly seventy times. His profound love for Christ compelled him to be a teacher of love and a witness to the truth. To him, obedience to the truth was the highest expression of love. As 1 John 2:5 says, “Whoever keeps [God’s] word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.”

John’s greatest joy was to know that his spiritual children were walking in the truth (3 John 4). He firmly denounced anyone who attempted to divert them from that goal by denying or distorting God’s Word.

Today, media talk shows and other influences have blurred the lines between opinion and truth. One man’s opinion is purported to be as good as the next, and there’s little talk about what’s right or wrong.

Truth suffers even within the church because many Christians are willing to compromise it to avoid upsetting people. They forget that true love flourishes only in the atmosphere of biblical truth (Phil. 1:9).

Amid such confusion, God calls you to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). The world doesn’t need another opinion—it needs God’s absolute and authoritative Word!

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for the gift of His love and the power of His truth. Ask Him to make you a person of ever-increasing biblical integrity.

For Further Study

Read Revelation 2:1-7.

• What strengths did the church at Ephesus have?
• What did it lack?
• What did Jesus require of it?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.