In 1 Peter 2:13, Peter writes, "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good." Notice that Peter commands obedience to the governing authorities "for the Lord's sake." This means the primary reason we obey the law of the land is to please God.

Consider some other things we should do "for the Lord's sake."

1. Attend Worship Services. Some attend worship services to please another person, or simply out of habit. We should attend the worship services of the church "for the Lord's sake." We worship God because He is worthy of our worship, and it is our obligation to worship our Creator and Father (Psalm 95:6-7).

2. Choose A Good Mate. Our choice of a life-long mate should be done in light of what would be best for our souls. We should pray for guidance and wisdom to choose a mate, for the Lord's sake, that would help us get to heaven.

3. Make Good Moral Choices. Knowing we live in a world filled with temptation and sin, we should make godly, moral choices that reflect spiritual mindedness and not worldly mindedness (Romans 8:5-6; 13:13-14). Our speech, dress, recreation, and thinking should be righteous and good, for the Lord's sake.

4. Oppose Error. For the Lord's sake, we must not fellowship the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). We must put on the full armor of God to stand strong in the good fight of faith against false doctrines and teachers (6:10-17).

5. Love Our Brethren. We are admonished to "let brotherly love continue" (Hebrews 13:1). We are to love one another because we are children of the Lord who first loved us. For the Lord's sake we show those around us the kind of love that the Lord taught by His own example. May others see the love of Christ in us.

As Christians, we are to make decisions that please God. That is our first priority. We are to make plans that, if the Lord wills, we will do this or that (James 4:14-15). As we live our lives, we should do what we do "for the Lord's sake." It is a guiding principle of our lives that leads us to eternal life.

- The Central Voice, January, 2015