1 Peter 1:15-16 Be Holy as I am Holy Devotional Scripture

But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16

To be holy means that all we are and all we have belong to God. Every aspect of our lives is to be shaped and directed toward God. We've been called to live a separated life. Instead of imitating the world with its fads and fashions our lives should reproduce the holy character of God.

Peter begins his letter reminding believers who they are in Christ. We have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are a chosen people that are loved by God.

Then Peters says, “Since this is who you are in Christ, act like it.” You are a child of the One true King! This is who you are. Therefore, the whole way you think and live; spirit, mind and body, must change. All our conduct, all our life, must be consistent with who we are in Christ.

Being Holy is an attitude of the heart. We must desire in our hearts to do what the Lord wants. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to walk in obedience.  He gives us the power to stand firm in the true grace of God.

1 Peter 1:20-21 My Only Hope is in You - Devotional Scripture

For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for your sake and through Him you believe [confidently] in God [the heavenly Father], who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.     

1 Peter 1:20-21 (AMP)

This was God’s plan before the foundations of the world; knowing that we would fail. Knowing that we would sin, God desired to demonstrate His love for us by sending His Son, to bear our sin, to take the responsibility of our sin and die in our place; therefore proving that God loves us. You never need to doubt the love of God. All you have to do is look at the cross of Jesus Christ and there God declared His love for you.

Jesus left His place in heaven and came down to earth to die on the cross for you.  It is through Jesus that we have come to believe in God. He is the One who has revealed the Father's heart to us.  He died on the cross so that our faith and hope would be centered and rest in God. To believe in God means that we lean on the Lord, we put all our weight upon Him. The anchor of our faith and hope is in God. It is in Him, not this world, that we live, move and have hope.

1 Thess. 5:23 Complete Santification - Devotional Scripture

 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.   1 Thessalonians 5:23

God wants us to be set apart for Him. In Thess. chapter 4, Paul was urging the Thessalonians to walk in a manner that was pleasing to God. But here, in chapter 5, He tells them that this can only be accomplished in God's strength.  God never intended us to live a holy life, a sanctified life, in our own strength.  He is the one who completes that work in us. We are to cooperate with Him but ultimately it is God that does the sanctifying.

Complete sanctification involves the whole person – spirit, soul and body. God must be involved in every aspect of our lives. He must be in control of our entire being. Our spirit is that part which enables us to have communion with God. Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our body is the house in which our person dwells. His holiness should prod into all the corners of our being so that none may escape purification.  As we choose to obey, He will give us the power to perform; but He will not give us the power to perform until we make the choice to obey.

In Joshua 3, the waters of the Jordan River did not part until the priests stepped into the water. They had to physically put the soles of their sandals into the water before the water stopped flowing. God worked, but he required the people to take a step of faith, a step of obedience before they experienced His mighty work.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Under God's Mighty Hand - Devotional Scripture

 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

When we humble ourselves under God we are brought low or made low.  A woman who was praying with her husband felt the need to be under her husband, to be made low.  As they began to pray she positioned herself a little lower than her husband.  As her husband prayed he began to take a lower and lower stance so the wife took a lower and lower stance.  By the end of the prayer the wife was prostrate on the floor in an effort to be made low under her husband. That is what humbling ourselves under God's mighty hand looks like.  It is constantly remembering He is God and His ways are above our ways.  In our minds eye we are to position ourselves, to be brought low, under God.

In Peter's day the believers were going through a lot of suffering. These trials, though they were not sent by God, were permitted by Him. Peter tells them and us to submit to God’s plan and He will sustain us. He knows the "due time" to lift us up.

We are commanded to cast all our anxieties upon Him. To cast something takes some effort and energy. You have to throw it away from you. The pressures and the burdens of our lives can be so heavy that it takes great concentration and effort to cast them on God.  We can cast all of those things that are concerning us on Him because we know He loves us and cares about us.  In opposition, worry denies the love of God; it says He does not care. And it denies the power of God; it says that He isn't able to deliver me from whatever is causing me to worry.

The truth is God loves you. His eyes are fixed on you. Don’t doubt that love just because you are going through suffering.  He loves you just as much in the trials of life as He does during the good times of life.

1 Peter 4:19 Commit Your Soul - Devotional Scripture

 

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.  1 Peter 4:19

The word "commit" is a term that would be used for leaving money on deposit with a trusted friend. It is the very word Jesus used when He said,

 Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.     Luke 23:46

So much of the agony we put ourselves through in times of trial and suffering has to do with our unbelief that God is a faithful Creator.

We wonder anxiously, will I make it through this trial?  How is this going to turn out?  What is going to happen next?  In those moments it’s very important not to forget that your hope is not in figuring it all out somehow or in finding rest in your own understanding.  Your hope is in one thing and that is in your Creator and Savior who holds all things in His hands.  The One who holds the world together holds you by His grace. The One who owns all things has the power to supply all that you need to go through what He is calling you to go through. It is only reasonable that we should entrust ourselves to the One who made our souls and who saved them.

I saw the movie War Room last weekend.  It had a great example of resting in our faithful Creator. In the movie, Elizabeth’s world is crumbling around her and she has become bitter and angry at her husband.  She meets Clara who tells her to fight the real enemy, which is not her husband. She needs to fight this battle on her knees in prayer and she needs to stand on the promises of God.  When her husband arrives home one night he is expecting another fight but instead Elizabeth is calm and at peace.  He is really confused by her actions.  He finally asks her what she wants and Elizabeth has to think about it for a minute and then she responds, “A hot fudge sundae, with two scoops of ice cream, and whip cream, lots of whip cream and a cherry on top.”  She had committed her soul to the faithful Creator.  She wasn’t anxious about her circumstances.  She wasn’t dwelling on what might happen next.  All she was thinking about was ice cream with whip cream and a cherry on top.

God’s grace frees us from anxiety, doubt and despair.  He made you and He made the situations and the challenges and all the people that are around you. We need only to take our concerns to him in prayer and trust in His promises.  Then, we can spend the rest of the day thinking about hot fudge sundaes with whip cream and a cherry on top.

1 Peter 4:10 Use Of Spritual Gifts - Devotional Scripture

 

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

 Every believer has been given a least one spiritual gift.  This was given to you by the grace of God. You didn’t earn it.  It’s free. Paul said it best;

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  1 Cor. 15:10

The reason God gives us spiritual gifts is to serve and profit others. They are not given to us for our own good pleasure.  They are meant to run through us as through a pipe. Therefore, it’s not enough to know your spiritual gift.  You need to use those gifts for the glory of God. He chose what gifts to give you.  Don’t compare your gift to another. Every part of the body is important; each has its job to do.

God takes the gifts of many people to change you and me. Your gifts take the word of God, the truth of God and the love of God to show me the kindness of Christ and that changes me. God uses you as a paint brush, as one of his tools, to write the word of God in the lives of other people.

A steward is responsible for another’s resources. Stewards had no wealth of their own, but distributed the Master’s wealth according to the Master’s will and direction. If we are bad stewards of the gifts God has bestowed on us, then that grace is wasted, because it only comes to us, and doesn't move through us.

As stewards, we will be held responsible for what we did with the gifts God has given us. There is a day when I will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ and I will be judged.  This is not a judgment for salvation.  That’s taken care of at the Cross.  But I will be judged as a believer for my rewards.  At that time God will ask me, “What did you do with what I gave you? I created you for good works in which I prepared for you in advance (Eph. 2:10). Did you use your gifts for those good works?”   

Luke 9:23-24 Take Up Your Cross - Devotional Scripture

 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Luke 9:23-24

Taking up your cross is something you choose to do. It's not something that has happened to you.  It doesn’t mean suffering in a strained relationship, physical illness or anything that might have been done against you.  It’s a choice to deny yourself.  It’s a determination that, no matter what, you’ll stand for Jesus.  Taking up your cross involves the total submission of your will, your passions and desires to God’s will. Jesus was our perfect example.  Jesus carried His cross to Calvary and He was obedient unto death (Phil. 2:5).  He surrender His will for His Father’s will,

Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done Luke 22:42

The cross was the ultimate act of obedience. In the biggest struggle of his life -the cross- Jesus surrendered His will to God’s will.

The reward for denying yourself far outweighs the cost. The more we let go of ourselves, the happier we will be. The more you give yourself away, the richer you’ll be.  The key is to come after Jesus, follow Him and believe on Him, deny your pride, your sinful nature and obey Him.  He didn’t say this to torture or torment us. He said it to liberate us and bless us.