13 Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children, 15 you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy. 16 It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy.
Reflection
The author of First Peter wrote, “You must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who has called you is holy.” Today as we read this verse, it seems to most of us that this an impossible task. Only God is Holy, not us. I can’t imagine how the five churches in Asia Minor who were suffering from persecution felt when they read this letter. “Really? You want us to be holy like God?” Life seems hard enough right now, without asking us to live holy lives.
How are we to live holy lives? Our holiness is not of our own making, but is a gift from God. As children of God, we experience new birth in Christ and leave our old lives behind. We obey God’s call to live holy lives, after the example of Jesus. We have been set apart to live lives where we love God and love others. The author of First Peter gives us a command to have our
“minds ready for action.” We’re not to resign ourselves to our situations, or be fearful, but to be ready to act. That action calls us to reject living by the world’s standards, and to place all our hope completely on God’s unmerited grace. And because God calls us to to live holy lives, God will transform our lives, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
Pursuing holiness does not mean being perfect, rather pursuing holiness will make us loving. We need to have our minds ready for action each day, filled with gratitude to follow Jesus. As Easter people we experience the salvation of God through Jesus Christ. Our lives have been
transformed by God’s love for us and we live in God’s promise of eternal life. God calls us into a sacred relationship whereby we are made perfect in God’s love, to live holy lives of loving God and loving others.
Have you set your hope on God’s grace to live a holy life?
How do you get your mind ready each day to follow Jesus?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, transform us by your Holy Spirit, and help us to become more loving like Jesus. Be with us and prepare our minds for action to live holy lives, following the example of Jesus, as we reach out to a world that that so desperately needs to know your love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
