“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17).
The Bible passage in 1 Peter 1:13—17 calls us to proc rice a living Christianity in five steps: 1) Prepare our mind for action and exclude all impurity. 2) Have self-control. 3) Keep alive our hope in our final redemption at the Second Coming of Jesus. 4) Be obedient, rejecting anything that is contrary to God’s will. 5) Be holy under any circumstances.
Peter describes a Father-son relationship in verses 13 to 16, but introduces the idea of a Father-Judge in verse 17. And in our case, there is no reason to fear the Judge and His judgment, because the Judge is our Father. Live your life in holy reverence, not for fear of the Judge, but for respect and honor for the Father-Judge. Your daily conduct reflects your attitude toward God. You are a pilgrim, dwelling in a foreign land; your behavior, under any circumstances, pressure, or threat, should honor the One whom you represent: your father-Judge. This is why we are to live an exemplary life: ‘Be holy, for I am holy” (verse 16).
Your status as a daughter of God does not give you the freedom to do anything you happen to think of. Behave not only as a daughter who knows that she is loved by God, but also as a grateful, privileged daughter. Show Him your love with joy, through respect, desiring to imitate your Father-Judge in holiness. Live your life conscious of His perpetual presence and His fearful majesty; that will help you to realize your sins clearly. It will lead you to worship Him in a way that pleases Him, with humility and repentance. You will see the abysmal, indescribable difference between you and God. You will realize that your most perfect attitudes, your most inspired and profound praises, your wisest and most reverent words, can hardly scratch the surface of His splendor.
Understanding this will broaden your concept of the magnitude of His love, His mercy, and His infinite grace enormously. Any holiness that you think you possess, if you do not make the heartfelt confession of Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8), is a holiness that only exists in your imagination. “Holiness to the Lord was the great characteristic of the Redeemer’s life on earth, and it is His will that this shall characterize the lives of His followers.”— Counsels on Stewardship, ch. 29, p. 143.
Experience holiness today.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Esteban Cortes
