BY: Pastor Bob Miller
CHAPTER READ: 1 Peter 2
SCRIPTURE SELECTED: 1 Peter 2:1-3
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
OBSERVATION: We are to rid ourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. There is no place for us to harbor these actions or attitudes. When we see this in our lives we are to deal with it. Like a newborn child who craves his mother’s milk, craves it all the more having tasted it, so we are to crave pure spiritual milk which comes from the Lord, for this is where we get our strength and energy to grow.
APPLICATION: I tend to focus on the negative and focus on the things that I need to be rid of and I can get discouraged for there are vestiges of malice and deceit and hypocrisy, envy and slander. Just dealing with those things takes more power than I have to change. Instead of focusing on the negative, Peter says crave the pure spiritual milk which comes from the Lord. Focus on the goodness of what Christ has brought into my life and take nourishment from Him. Let Him change my heart and as He shows me what doesn’t belong.
PRAYER: Life with You keeps getting better and better. The more I receive from You the less I want to live as I once lived and the more I want to be rid of those actions that I once thought were necessary to protect myself. You have become my nourishment, my strength and my protector. I come to You! Amen