Today’s reading is 1 Peter 4

Tom writes:

“You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do - living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies”... Wait a minute. Am I the only one who hasn’t spent time in the past doing orgies? Debauchery - yes. Lust - unfortunately yes. Drunkenness - to my shame yes. But orgies?? I once went to a party where some people were kissing in the corner but I don’t remember joining in. Maybe that means this passage doesn’t apply to me? Sadly I think it does. In this description of the flood of dissipation it is shocking that the only one that has an added adjective - to set it apart is the worst - is idolatry. And that cuts me to the core. I have looked to idols like the worst of them. Idolatry was neatly summed up by Augustine as any disordering of our loves. Idolatry is loving a good thing above the best thing; working so hard that I neglect my other God-given responsibilities, wanting to be liked more than wanting to do what Jesus wants, meditating on my phone when I’m trying to meditate on the word.

Idolatry is a subtle sin that we can convince ourselves is not present... until we begin to suffer. Suffering is about our nightmares becoming real. We suffer most when what we love most is attacked. And so suffering always exposes our idols. That is what Peter means when he says “he who has suffered in his body is done with sin”. If, when we are in real physical pain we can’t love others deeply, we begin to realise where our priorities really lie. If, when we have been slighted, we use our words to get them back, then we realise how our honour is more important to us than Jesus’. And these revelations help us; they show us a new area when God wants to set us free. Living in exile and having people do people stuff to us can actually help us become holy. As long as we use all of these revelations as prompts to prayer. Because none of us have the strength to beat idolatry on our own. But through prayer - prayer that commits us to our faithful Creator - the unspeakable strength of Saviour seeps into our souls, sustaining us in goodness and reordering our loves.

Question for reflection

How has suffering led you into prayer, and then into holiness?

1 Peter 4 - Friday 11th October