Daily Devotion: Shake It Off!

Scripture:
1 Peter 2: 1-10

Main Verses:
1 Peter 2: 1-3
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Observation:
Today's verse in my devotional book was in 1 Peter 2: 5, 9, but for some reason, verse 1 struck to me more. I wondered; Why did the apostle Peter start with a concluding transition such as "therefore" when this is just the start of chapter 2? I had to read the previous chapter to further understand Peter's intention. In 1 Peter 1: 15-16, believers are reminded to be holy, "'Be holy, because I {The Lord} am holy.'" Therefore, because the Lord is holy, we must get rid of any kind of emotion that does not please God's holy nature. God is love and in God, there is no malice, no envy, no deception, no hypocrisy and scandal. The Lord warns us against committing these emotional sins. It is because these impure activities and emotions--malicious and scandalous thoughts, jealousy, dishonesty and deceipt--can lead us to sin. King David had malicious thoughts when he saw Bathsheba bathing while he was in his rooftop, which caused him to commit murder and adultery. Joseph's brothers' jealousy led them to hate their brother and thought of killing him. Ananias's and Sapphira's deception about part of the money from the sale of their property caused them to lie to Peter (Acts: 5).

Application:
The Lord's admonition to us is to avoid every instance where the enemy can play with our weaknesses. We need to shake off the snares of the evil one. We need to keep God's Word in our heart so we have a means to dodge the devil's schemes. We should humble ourselves unto God and admit our weakness. We are to seek the Lord's Kingdom at all times. Finally, we should continue running the race and endure 'til the end. We serve a God that is greater than the evil in this world and He does not want us to fall into sin. Once we have received His gift of salvation, we should start following the path that the Lord has chosen for us--the path toward holy living.

Prayer:
Lord, lead me away from these sinful feelings and help me avoid Satan's snares. Hold my hand firmly and keep me safe from harmful thoughts. May I keep my eyes focused on You as I continue to run the race that is set before me. AMEN.