I joined our local women’s ministry and we are doing and inductive study on 1 Peter. This is my first time I’ve done an inductive study and I really enjoy it. I don’t do all the color coding or follow some type of key. I literally just underline words that pop out to me. I underline and arrow what they point to if they point to anything. Then I focus on the challenges and promises within the passage. Finally how can I apply to my life.
Today we were on 1 Peter 1:13-16. Which is basically a passage about our conduct as those who are saved. So I thought it would be fun to share what jumped off the page and intrigued me.
so read the passage - 1 Peter 13-16
As I worked through this passage in the NIV, alert and sober jumped out right away so I wondered what that meant. I underlined so I could draw attention to because those are descriptive words used specifically on how we should be positioning our minds. Alert - prepare for action. Sober - to take serious.
Next grace. Before this passage Peter used grace a lot so here I take special notice of grace again and grace is God’s unmerited favor. Peter also used hope multiple times so I underlined hope and arrow to grace. I also always underline Jesus’ name when it’s referenced. The whole bible points to him so what is this passage saying about Jesus. Here it references his coming so I underline that. So taking those four words: hope, grace, Jesus, and coming from this sentence I note a promise: the only way we are able to stand before Jesus on that day is because of his unmerited favor he gives and will give us.
Moving on to the next sentence. I see action - do not, so I pay special attention to what I do not do which is conform. And when a but is present I always circle that. So do not conform BUT… so what’s my but. It’s not apparent right away so I stay here a little bit. I’m called to be holy. Holy is a big word. So what does this really mean. Because this passage says I’m to be holy in all I do. Well, holy is not about spiritual purity it is about apartness. God has never asked us to be spiritually perfect but he does ask us to live differently and according to the passage to not conform to this world and to set our mind on the hope found in his grace. So I focus this last bit on how I’m set apart. I’m holy because He is holy and we are to share in his holiness. His apartness.
So here is my challenge: do not conform to this world but live in his holiness. His apartness.
this reminds me of the passage in Romans 12:1-2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
So I end with an application to my self. I ask myself this question: Am I setting my mind on things above? My mind is a powerful weapon. Is it focused on his grace? Am I living set apart?
But then I remind myself in the whole context of the Bible that Jesus was for this world. So while I live holy for Jesus, I do so to show Jesus. Not to separate myself from those who do not know Jesus.
And there you have my morning mind wanderings folks. Hope it makes as much sense to you as it does me.