A Call to Holy Living

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

March 28, 2023

A Call to Holy Living

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.”

1 Peter 1:15-16

Read: 1 Peter 1:10-21

Peter had in mind several passages in the Book of Leviticus in asserting “You must be holy because I am holy.” (v.16) Why should we reach for such a high calling? Peter tells us: “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you . . .  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.” (v.18-19)

During this Season of Lent, the only motivation we need to seriously examine the way we are living is to reflect on the core value of the Christian faith: God ransomed our soul through the blood of Jesus!

In the first three verses of today’s reading, Peter is looking back to the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah and Zechariah, and their foretelling of God’s promised Messiah. Peter will elaborate on this in 2 Peter 3:8-9, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

This passage reminds me of what I wrote on March 23, 2023: God is patient, is working inexorably across the centuries to accomplish his mission, and in the fullness of time has disclosed himself in Jesus Christ. Patience is hopeful: it entrusts the future confidently to God.

My Takeaway: Today is a good day to affirm Peter’s words in verse 21: Through Christ I have come to trust in God. And I have placed my faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.