Day 2- Check Your Alignment

Bible Reading– 1 Peter 2

Have you ever aligned the wheels of your car? 

It’s something I never liked doing. I just felt it wasn’t really that necessary and so would typically avoid it or postpone doing it, thinking I was saving some money. I remember years ago, that a few people had called my attention to the fact that my tyres needed ‘alignment’, but I would just put it off. In my mind, at least it didn’t stop the car from moving. I learnt in the hard way though. I started to realize how the ‘little’ thing I regarded as not-so-important was hitting back in bigger ways: my tyres wearing out really quick, my driving experience being affected more and more with steering problems and even the risks raised while driving. 

Most experts would advise that even without noticing any problems, car users should check their wheel alignment at least once or twice a year, especially cars exposed to bad roads.

The concept of alignment suggests that two or more separate entities need to be kept in sync. 

Reading through our passage today, it jumps at me the need to constantly check for an alignment between my belief and my conduct, especially as one that is exposed to ‘bad roads’ along the journey.

Peter’s big idea in this Chapter seems to be that there is what we believe and who we are as Christians that sets a tone on the one hand.  We then need to check our conduct to align perfectly with that for a best journey experience.

On the one hand, we have tasted that the Lord is good (v 3), we have experienced the preciousness of Christ (v 7), we are chosen, royal and holy (v 9), and we are called to follow Christ’s example ( v 21-25).

So what kind of conduct aligns well with this framework? 

That’s the big argument that Peter delves into: lay aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking (v 1), pursue growth (v 2), abstain from fleshy lusts and keep a high moral standard (v 11-12),  treat civil authority right (v 13-17), work right in secular employments (v 18-20), and so on.

The big idea is that to be a Christian is to pursue a conduct that aligns with our calling, and not to just be passive.

Alignments must be checked. Don’t be passive about it. We journey on bad roads!

I invite you in this season to think and reflect around some of the key areas of your life and consider whether or not they align with Christ’s example. Be honest enough to not brush over it, because it really matters! Make decisions where you need to, get help where you need help, but don’t ignore the need to be checking your alignment:

Have you been speaking right? Do your words sound like the right vibe of faith and love, or have they been careless and reactive?

Have you been honouring right? Have you been treating people with the right sense of regard and value, or have you been caught up in yourself?

Have you been living with integrity? Are you compromising your standards?

Are you living with a healthy vibe of hope and expectation or have you become negative and cynical?

Do you need an alignment of your wheels? We will never have our best Christian journeying experience without keeping our wheels well aligned with our framework of faith.