SWEPT AWAY BY GRACE—A Study in I Peter (part 7): Therefore, live a life of love
I Peter 2 (NIV) Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Whenever we see the word therefore in scripture, we must look back. Certainly Peter is telling us to rid ourselves of all thoughts of anger or deceit. We are to not lie—to ourselves or to others. We need to no longer live our lives with hypocrisy and envy; nor are we to slander others. This does not come just as a list of commands or laws which we already know that we cannot accomplish on our own; rather, it comes with a therefore and a means as to how.
Artwork used by written permission of Ronald Barba who owns the copyright
Because of the truth that we have been elected and called forth by Grace to be born again into a new life with Christ and because of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in us we are to look at the world around us with eyes of understanding and genuine love. We must be always mindful of “the beam in our own eye” before trying to remove the speck in someone else’s eye. We must always remember who we are without Christ and only then can we reach a world in need of Christ. Because of the price Christ paid for our redemption, we need to live forth our lives as His Ambassadors. Sometimes that does make us vulnerable to being taken advantage of or vulnerable to being hurt because of our mission. Peter knew this all too well and accepted that as a part of his life.
Then, Peter as though he also knew that contrary to what some might think, this type of pouring oneself out may lead to broken heartedness and even loneliness—he reminded us where we go to be nourished. We must be fed by spiritual milk and grow in our knowledge of Christ. We must continually be reminded of the sweetness of Christ in our lives—yearning after and seeking Him.
Listen to this song I wrote once upon a time. The Master Weaver
New International Version(NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba
Artwork is used with written permission of Ronald Barba who owns the copyright. His work can be found at: http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/ronald+barba/all
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