We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
1 Peter 1:17-23 (NRSV)
17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s work, live in fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
Devotional: What difference does it make?
I grew up in a church that encouraged Confirmation for teenagers. At about 14 years of age, I was invited to attend confirmation classes, as a prelude to a Confirmation Ceremony. My older brother and sister had previously been confirmed, so I’d be following in the family footsteps. But I couldn’t see that being confirmed had made any difference to the way my siblings lived their lives. I decided to “buck the system” and not get confirmed. I felt I should only be confirmed when (and if) I was prepared to be serious about my faith in and life with God.
We’ve recently commemorated Jesus’ death and celebrated his resurrection. But what difference have Holy Week and Easter made in our lives? Does our belief in Christ’s death and resurrection make any observable difference in the way we live? Whether we like it or not, those around us are watching us. Non-believers want to know if believing in Jesus makes any difference in everyday life.
In our passage Peter talks of believers being in “exile” as strangers, longing for our real home with God (17). We live in this world, but we await the day we will be with Christ. But because of our trust and hope in God (21), we can live lives that reflect the image of God in us. Peter urges his hearers to “love one another deeply from the heart” (22). Our beliefs shouldn’t be just head knowledge – they should shape our daily lives. We “have been born anew” (23) to grow in holiness, through learning to live in community. A decision to follow Christ may be individual, but our living as Christians is shown to those around us through the building of a community of believers, a community of love. Daniel G. Powers says: “The mutual love of believers is the defining trait of the people of God and the distinguishing mark of true holiness.” (New Beacon Bible Commentary: 1 &2 Peter/Jude, 79). Are our lives demonstrating this trait to those who don’t yet know Christ?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we come to you confessing that our lives haven’t always reflected the love that you shower upon us. Renew us and make us willing to build a community of love and grace as we share you through our actions as well as our words. Amen.
Blessings,
Pam Reed
Registrar and Student Support Tutor