Monday, October
29, 2018
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. 1 Peter 2:1-3(NLT)
Peter said
God’s requirement for followers of Jesus was to put aside deceit,
hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
(Boy, some people would have nothing to do!)
That
phrase “putting aside” is in the Greek aorist tense. It indicates something that is done
“once-for-all”. It’s like taking off a
garment, laying it on the ground, and never again picking it up. In other words, we don’t just cut-back on our
maliciousness and hypocrisy – we give it up altogether!
Now, Peter
wasn’t saying this just to lay out some rules, so preachers would have
something to rant about during revivals.
There is a purpose to laying aside all that trash kind of behavior; the
purpose is to grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
If we are
to become an exemplary part of the Body of Christ it will mean laying-aside all
self-centeredness. I have known some
saved people who are mean-spirited and just plain “hard to get along with”. Instead of letting the grace of the Lord
Jesus transform them into mellow and gracious people, it seems the longer they
live, the more demanding they become.
They make life miserable for everyone around them.
How can
you prevent that? You can do what Peter
said:
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. 1 Peter 2:4-5a(NLT)
The phrase
coming
to Christ indicates an habitual approach. Peter said we are to grow by [habitually] taking
in the sincere milk of the Word. That’s
how babies grow…they take in nourishment at every opportunity. They eat habitually!
So here is
a question for you:
Is prayer
and Bible study habitual with you?
As a
pastor I have often been in the privileged position of watching the last number
of months, days and hours of people who are getting ready to exit this
world. One of the surest signs that the
end is near is when the person refuses food.
An appetite is required for health.
My friend,
if you want to be true to the Lord Who died for you, your appetite for growing as
a disciple needs to be fed. If you don’t
feed it, it is a sign that you’d rather live closer to spiritual death than
robust Christian life!
For You Today
This daily devotional is more like a spiritual
snack than a full, hearty meal. If you
want to be like your big brother, Jesus, spiritual food and spiritual exercise
are necessary on Monday through Saturday, not just Sunday mornings.
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