Scripture

For you are free yet you are God’s slaves. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil

Observation

Because we are children of the Lord, we should honour God by respecting those who have authority over us, both the king and his officials. The officials are appointed to punish criminals and to honour those who do what is right.

We are free yet we are God’s slaves. We must never use our freedom to justify sin. We must respect everyone and love our christian brothers and sisters.

Slaves must respect the authority of their masters, not only if they are kind, but even if they are cruel. God is pleased when we do what is right, even when we are unfairly punished.

Application

People often misconstrue Christian freedom for a licence to do what we please. As a cynical philosopher said on his deathbed, “God will forgive. That is His business.”

God is not in the business of forgiving wilfulness There is grace and mercy, but we demonstrate our faith by living faithfully to the ways of God.

Christ has redeemed us, and so we are owned by Him. We were once slaves to sin but now we are slaves of Christ.

Therefore we must not use our freedom in Christ to do what displeases Christ. Instead we allow His love and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the men and women that God created us to be.

Prayer.

Thank you, Lord, that you have lifted me out of the kingdom of darkness and into your kingdom. Please help me to live a life that pleases you in every way. Amen.

Scripture

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, 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 and into his wonderful light

Observation.

We are God’s chosen people royal priests, a holy nation. So we can show others the goodness of God.

We were once nobody, but now we are God’s. Once we received no mercy, but God’s mercy is our treasured gift.

We are temporary residents in this world, and so we must keep away from worldly desires. We must live properly amongst unbelievers because they will see the difference God makes in our lives.

Application

We the church, the people of God, have a unique identity as we stand between God and the world.

We are God’s chosen people. That designation has shifted from Israel to the church. God has chosen us as His very own.

We are God’s possession. Once we transfer our allegiance to God in Christ then he will fight to keep us as his possession .Nothing, except for our own rebellion, will separate us from the love of God.

We are a royal priesthood. We are royal in the sense that we are dedicated to the king. As a priesthood, we have a duty to intercede for our friends and neighbours.

A holy nation is one that is set apart for God’s purposes, In the way that Israel was. We must live holy lives that speak of our calling, and witness to the world that we belong to the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for this high calling that you have placed on all your people. Amen.

Scripture

You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual Temple. What is more, you are his holy priests Through the mediation of Jesus Christ. You offer spiritual sacrifices that please God

Observation

Christ is the living cornerstone of God’s temple and we are coming to Him. We are living stones in this temple that God is building. We are priests who can intercede with Christ, offering a kind of spiritual sacrifice. This was all foretold in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah said that the Lord will place a cornerstone in Jerusalem, and anyone who trusts in Him will not be disgraced.

This cornerstone that brings honour to those who trust in Him is also a stumbling stone that destroys those who refuse to obey the Lord.

Application

In our Western culture, we are overly concerned with individuals and rarely see the big picture of where we fit in with others.

Here Peter tells us that we are living stones being built together with other believers into a spiritual temple. It is not that I am a temple for God but rather the church, the Body of Christ is a temple for God.

There is a saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is true of the church. About 2.5 billion people, or one-third of the world’s population, is Christian. That is impressive, but God is building all of these people, together with all of the saints of the past and those yet to be born, into something greater – a spiritual building, a vessel for His presence.

That is something far greater than reconstructing a stone temple in Jerusalem. This temple spans the world and shows forth the grace of God to all people.

Prayer

Lord, you are awesome in your might and in your mercy. Please help me to find my place in your temple of grace. Amen.

Scripture

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.

Observation

We were cleansed from our sin when we first came to faith in Jesus, so we must live in that clean nature by loving other Christian brothers and sisters.

We have been born again to eternal life, not to a life that will end. People are like grass, but the word of the Lord, the good news, lasts forever.

We must get rid of all evil behaviour, and instead crave pure spiritual milk so that we will grow into the fullness of salvation.

Application

When we put our trust in Jesus, we were born again or born of the Spirit. This new life in Christ is not for this earthly life only. The new life is everlasting.

This means that we must live for eternity, not for the present. Our eyes must be fixed on Jesus, not on earthly things.

And so we have to make a conscious decision to put away sin. Everything that separates us from God must go. This is a lifelong process in which God convicts us and redirects our passions and desires.

Positively, it means we must crave the pure spiritual milk that brings us to mature discipleship. This refers to the word of God, the Scriptures. We need to read the word daily, and regularly hear the word of God preached, as well as studying the word in small groups.

When we do these things and learn to place our attention on Jesus, then we will grow into maturity in the faith.

Prayer

Lord, you have shown me how to grow in you. Please help me to be disciplined in my study of your word and in the thoughts of my heart. Amen.

Scripture

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom, he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious Blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

Observation

We must learn to exercise self-control by focusing on the gracious salvation that is coming. We must live obedient to God and not slip back to the old ways of living,

We must be holy in everything. God will judge us and reward us according to our deeds.

God paid a ransom for us. It was not just silver or gold, but the precious Blood of Christ. God chose Him before the world began and has revealed Him to us in these last days.

Application

I was born in sin to sinful parents. They lived an empty life because it was separate from God.

Then Christ came in and I was born again to a living hope and a new life full of the presence of God. I didn’t deserve this. It was God’s gift.

The ransom for my salvation is the precious Blood of the everlasting Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. God was prepared to pay this price – humbling himself to become a man and then dying for me. This says something about the seriousness of sin. But it also says something about how much God is prepared to give up for the prize of my redemption.

God loves me with real love. It is not a cheap grace. He goes all the way to see me rescued from my sin.

Because of His love for me, I must live a holy life, set aside for His purposes.

Prayer

Father God, I am amazed at your great love for me. Please help me to live a life that shows my love for you. Amen.

Scripture

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though, you do not see him now, you trust him and you rejoice with a glorious inexpressible Joy.

Observation

We must be glad because there is wonderful joy ahead. We may have to endure trials for a while. These trials purify our faith and reveal that it is real.

We love God, even though we have never seen him, but we trust Him and rejoice in Him. We will be saved because of this faith in Jesus.

The prophets wanted to know more about this salvation. They wondered when and how this would come about. This salvation, now revealed in the gospel, is so wonderful that even the angels are watching these things happen.

Application

Sometimes people express a feeling that they would like to see Jesus as He walked around Israel. But, this verse and others in Scripture, say that there is a greater blessing for those who believe without seeing.

We love the Lord even though we have never seen Him. And we trust him and rejoice in a salvation that we have not seen or touched with our physical senses.

The reward of trusting him is salvation, eternal life with God. This salvation is a truly wondrous thing because it gives us hope for the future and peace that our present trials will make us fit for heaven.

God works his purposes out through everything in our lives; nothing is wasted.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for joy, that excitement about eternity. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

Scripture

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago and his Spirit has made you holy as a result. You have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Observation

The letter is from Peter, and he writes to believers in the provinces in Asia Minor. He says they were known by God and chosen by Him long ago.

It is by God’s mercy that we have been born again. We live with great expectation and we have a priceless inheritance kept in heaven for us.

Through our faith, God is protecting us by his power until we receive the salvation which is ready to be revealed on the last day.

Application

It is an awesome thought that God knew us and chose us from long ago or actually, from before the world was created.

He has known me forever and will know me forever. He knew who I would be and what I would do in my life.

When times of hardship come, or even persecution, it is encouraging to know that God knew about it, and that in some way it will turn out to to His glory and for my good. This can give me a bigger perspective and rescue me from the temptations of introspection and self-pity.

Because He knows me, God has chosen me. I can’t go down the theological rabbit hole of predestination. Suffice it to say that God saw in me something He valued and that He could work on to bring me to salvation. He also saw that when the time came to be invited into the kingdom, I would say “yes.”

Prayer

You knew me and chose me from long ago. All praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.