1 Peter 1:22-25

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”  And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

A life that is pleasing to the Lord and holy implies a love for others and obedience to the Word of God.  We love God by loving others.  God’s will for us is revealed to us in His Word.  The Christian life is not a complicated one for us to understand but it is difficult for self-centered people to follow.  We naturally love ourselves and want to do our own will but God calls us to love others and do His will.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER SINCERELY: Loving one another is not about our feelings, it is about obedience to the truth.  Holiness and purity are not just about abiding by a list of dos and don’ts; they are about loving the way that Christ loved us.  We are called to sacrificially serve one another and do what is best for each other in light of eternity.  When we are suffering it is easy for us to become self-absorbed and flip a switch into “survival mode.”  Holiness means being like Christ.  He suffered more than any other man without ever losing His focus on His mission to love the Father and others.  

LIVE THE WORD OF GOD OBEDIENTLY: By God’s grace and power we have been born again into a new life that is eternal in nature.  Our salvation was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ who died in our place and rose from the grave.  He is imperishable and gives us the gift of eternal life through faith in Him according to the Word of God.  God’s Word is true and will last forever.  The things this world has to offer are all temporary pleasures that are here today and gone tomorrow like the grass and flowers that simply wither and wilt.  The world tries to torture those who value God and His Word above the temptation to sin.  The promises of God’s Word will never fail and are worth any amount of sacrifice to obtain.

APPLICATION: Don’t confuse legalism that looks down on others with holiness.  True holiness will always result in a sincere love for other people.  Don’t allow the passing pleasure this world has to offer distract us from the permanent promises of God’s Word.

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