A Daily Devotion for Friday, November 17
- ontrakk
- Nov 17, 2023
- 1 min read
1 Peter 2:16
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves.
The word "slave" is hard to see in any kind of positive light. And the use of the picture of Abraham Lincoln makes it even more difficult. Believe it or not, I chose the picture this morning and uploaded it into place before I read through today's scripture choice! We are free people, and we are free from the wages of sin. We are forgiven, and if slavery could be voluntary, I would be a voluntary slave to God. I choose to follow and obey him, with no fear of His turning on me or acting in some unfair, unexpected manner. I need to remember to always put God and His desires for me, and from me, first.
Holy Lord, thank you for leading and guiding me. Help me to be a better listener, and a better servant. Amen
Becky, transforming
Friday, November 17th, 2023
1 Peter 2:16
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Again, referring to prior verses helps to understand the current verse. Peter is explaining, even though they were freed, they needed to show respect and understanding to elected officials in upholding the laws of the land. Today we still submit to human authority regarding laws, True freedom is not doing what you want without restraint, but practicing the right ways of living in obedience to God's will. Freedom results when our wants align with God's will. Regardless of how I feel about our leaders, I must respect their position. During this seaso…
Transformers: Janet’s Dad is in his final hours. His family surrounds him and those in England had a FaceTime goodby earlier today. Please keep them all in your prayers. Roz
1 Peter 2:16 People are free to react to the word “slave” any way they choose, but the truth of the matter is we are all slaves to something, even if it is one’s own desires. This is something we choose as we map out the course of our lives. One of the ten principles to defeat stubborn habits that appears on my PrayerMate software is, “Yield to temptation and lose your ability to choose.” The spiral of sinful behavior without the rescue of submitting to God does not end well, whether it is in this life or in an eternity separated from God. At the same time, freedom from the power of sin does not give one license to sin…
1 Peter 2:16
Because of the word slave in my NLT version, I looked at several different translations. My NLT and the NIV used the word slave, but most others used some form of servant. I really do believe servant is really what Peter wanted us to hear and understand. And, of course, in our modern culture, slave means something so different. The freedom we have in Christ leads us to be more like him and live lives of service to others,
Prayer: Gracious God, Thank you for these lessons on service we receive as we read your word. They help us to understand servanthood. Amen