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1 Peter 1:22-24
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. In a recent conversation with a young couple, one of them said, “to love like God wants us to love one another isn’t easy, is it?” The real answer is “no!” Read John 15:9, then 12 and you’ll discover we are to love each other as God The Father loves God the Son. Peter shares three reasons why such love can be so difficult.
- PAST ACTIONS DETERMINE PRESENT ACTIVITIES! Peter presents this truth as though it were reality in our life. Scripture always speaks to us from the viewpoint that we have no question or hesitancy in obedience to it; nor does it ever expect us to respond to it with less than all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The concept of “having purified” is the key to understanding here. Peter is telling us, at a time past when we were saved our hearts were purified when God forgave all our sin and sinfulness. He made our hearts clean. That past event is still the basis for what we do today. Or, once God cleaned our hearts, they have stayed clean. Is that true in your life? What God has done in the past by cleansing our hearts must be the foundation from which we work today, if we are ever to learn to love all others as God loves His Son.
- OUR SOULS MUST BE OBEDIENT! Peter is telling us here a purified soul is the result of obeying the Truth or Word of God. When a person says “I can’t,” “I won’t,” “I don’t want” to do all God is telling me, what that person is actually sayings is “I refuse” to obey. Never get too far from the truth that God made you sacred (1:2) with the shed blood of Christ while you were still His enemy (Rom. 5:8). In order to receive God’s blessings we must love all others as He commands. When we are obedient in loving all other people as God loves Christ, then God is free to lavish His great reward upon us. Finally,
- OUR SOULS MUST BE SINCERE! Peter defines sincere as being “free from deceit or pretense.” Like so many other character traits in our Christian life, sincerity can become unholy, or unclean if we are not constantly on guard. It’s easy to be sincere with people on your “A” list, but it is a whole different story with those who aren’t on that list, isn’t it! We pretend to be friends with people, not because we have particular concern for them, but we want to protect our own reputation! We don’t want others to think badly of us, because we publically shun or mistreat someone! God is looking at the motives of our heart, not what others think of us! He sees the hypocrisy, deceit, and hatred we think we are hiding. Pure agape love can come only from a pure heart that is completely given to the Lord Jesus Christ is grateful acknowledgment for the redeeming work that cleansed it. How is it with you? Are you trying to love another person the way God wants you too, but can’t? Look into your heart and see whether or not you are trying to pull such a pure love out of a polluted heart!
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
