Dear Friends,
We all live in unhappy times where there is lots of stress and we are tempted to fly off the handle. Today’s devotional gives us pause to think about that temper. God bless you.

Because of Calvary,
John Janney

• I Peter 2:16-17 (ESV)

  16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

“We live in an ungodly system and it is God’s will that we try to live as exemplary people. And that not only includes obeying laws and obeying employers. It also includes, Peter says, showing respect to everyone. Dr. Harold I. Fickett, Jr. and I were speakers together at a Bible conference. I heard him tell a story that nicely illustrates the need to be less belligerent, less uptight, and just plain more agreeable people.

“It seems this Christian fellow was driving along the street when someone pulled up behind him and started pounding on his horn.

“Beep, beep, beep!

“Apparently our Christian friend wasn’t driving all that fast and he probably thought he had ‘some impatient jerk’ behind him who wanted to get by.

“Beep, beeep, beeeeeep!

“So he started fuming and finally couldn’t stand it any longer. They came to a red light and he stopped, jumped out, and ran back to the ‘mad honker’ on his tails, and said, ‘If you don’t quit blowing that horn I’ll…’ About then the guy in the other car said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I saw your bumper sticker, “Honk if you love Jesus,” so of course I honked!’” [John F. MacArthur, Jr., Why Believe the Bible? (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980), p. 108-109]