1 Peter 1:21-23
“Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.” vs. 22
We don’t often think of ourselves as having pure souls. It’s much more common for us to talk as though we are sinful to the core, and that all parts of our being have been tainted, including our souls. That’s a comfortable position…one that really doesn’t demand much and that also provides a myriad of excuses for bad behavior. The problem is, that such a stance completely negates all that God has done in Christ Jesus. And the truth is, that Jesus has been raised up by God and all who trust that truth have been cleansed and set free from sin. To put it in gospel terms, we have been raised together with Christ to live in newness of life. And that makes a massive difference in how we conduct ourselves on a daily basis. We’re not talking about piety here. This has nothing to do with obedience to law or a new list of do’s and don’t’s. Like Peter, we’re talking love! As he puts it, our lives will overflow with mutual love. It’s not a matter of “should” love — we “will” love! We will love one another deeply from the heart. This is no new concept…it’s the instruction Jesus himself gave his disciples…and it’s the standard for Christian living!
Thought for the Day: What does loving from the heart look like in my life?
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