You must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT)
Good morning, friends. I hope all is well and if it is not that it is getting better for you by the minute.
When you were a little kid did you experience the threats of a bully and his mean buddies? It seemed like every school that I attended as a child, and there were many different schools; there was always a group of mean kids and the group had its chief bully. They always seemed to look the same—they just looked mean. It was never pleasant and if you were one of those bullies, shame on you.
Peter wrote that we are to live like God’s obedient children and then he instructed us in how God’s children are to live. We are to be holy. Now, what does it mean to be “holy?” First, the same Greek word that is used to describe God as “holy” is used for believers. It means to “pure” and it means to be “blameless.” We are made pure by nothing other than the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. We remain blameless by our lifestyle which is lived out by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
We must never slip back into our old sinful way of living which was dictated by immoral and sinful lusts. The old way was leading us to eternal destruction so why would we ever be drawn back into it, yet there are all too many who fall back, who never find the way of righteousness again. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (KJV),
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
We once lived in spiritual darkness and our lifestyle revealed it but now, we are the children of light and our lifestyle must reveal that too. Live like God wants you to live. Live to please and glorify the Lord who gave you life. Can I get an amen?
Amen and amen.
