“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So 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.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.” 2 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
There’s a call to obedience through suffering. Why? Because it’s easier to return to our 'former ignorance.' We will be tempted to satisfy ourselves with the things of the world. But stay strong. Have faith. Remember what God has done for you. Remember that He is good, so when life is hard, you can remain obedient in Him
Obedience in suffering is hard. Don’t make it harder by not getting in the Word.
1 Peter 1:13-22 shares practical matters of obedience in hardship. Why? Bc we all tend to forget what God has done for us? Suddenly heaven doesn’t become enough for us. Suddenly we are doubting Gods goodness. “We are all spiritual amnesiacs” - Paul David Tripp
This is why reading the Word daily is so important, it reminds us of the gospel. It reminds us of the nature of God that we are so quick to doubt. It reminds us of our future, that we will be with Jesus forever in paradise soon.
That is Christian living. Having been saved, we are able to live a life of glad obedience while being in Awe of God.
1 Peter 2:1-12
So ask yourself, do you hate your sin?
As we "taste and see that the Lord is good" (cf. ps 34:8) we grow to hate our sin. We can't find both Christ and sin appealing at the same time.
As we grow closer to Christ, our desire for Him increases. This desire for Christ makes us despise our sins more & more. (as shown in 2:v2, once we have tasted the "pure spiritual milk", we will lose our appetite for sin and long for Him more)
How can you seek to understand just how much God loves you?
The Bible is like a love letter from God to us. It tells a big story, the kind we often see in movies - the battle of good versus evil, where love wins, and there's a heroic rescue. Even though it's made up of 66 books written by 40 different people, over 1500 years, and having more manuscripts than any other history book ...it all comes together and points towards Gods rescue plan for us- Jesus.
The point of reading the Bible isn't just to learn things or find practical tips and tricks for life. It's about getting to know God. Seeing His holiness, His might, His power, & His love on display.