1 Peter 1:17-21 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.  Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 

One more day reflecting on this passage from 1 Peter where he reminds us how valuable it is that the Lamb of God was slain for us. Without that, we would have no hope of salvation, but with faith, we have the certainty of eternal life.

Peter brings all of this up to encourage you to live the new life to which you have been called. Knowing what Jesus went through for your sake, applying His atonement to your life through faith, should evoke a response of living for Him. Notice that your obedience to God is the result of salvation, not the cause. You have been redeemed from the empty way of life that would have you believe you must save yourself. Christ died to save you. So you now live for Him.

Something that is amazing to me is the way in which God deals with us in regard to all of the things of this world that we tend to value more highly than Him. You might think that He would tell us to get rid of them all and never have anything to do with them again, but that is not what He says. Rather, He tells us that He gave up His Son for us, and that together with Him He will freely give us all things. The difference is that you are to receive all the things of this world in the proper perspective, not valuing them above the most precious thing you have, Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain for you.

Peter tells us that we are not to trust in ourselves, but that your faith and hope are in God. He also said that you are to live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. With the Lamb slain for you in your experience, you are conscious of what you do. You are strangers in this world in the sense that you no longer fit into the way the world does things. You no longer find the way of Satan appealing, but rather encourage those following Him to repent and believe in the Gospel. Living in the fear of God means you respect Him and marvel at His goodness to you, and you want to do His Will. This will not always be easy. The pressure of the world to conform will be strong.

Years ago I was driving to Austin for a conference. I left early in the morning and stopped at a McDonald’s on the south side of Dallas for breakfast. I ordered an Egg McMuffin and an orange juice. I handed the lady a five dollar bill. When I looked at my change, I noticed that she gave me four ones and some change. I said, “I don’t think you charged me enough.” She looked at me in disbelief and said, “What did you say?” I repeated, “I don’t think you charged me enough.” Astonished, she said, “I can’t believe you said that. Nobody here is ever honest!”

I thought to myself, that’s the way of the world. That’s the empty way of life Peter spoke of. People tend to put more importance on things than on following God. But I can’t live that way. I have been redeemed from that. I have been forgiven and called to live as the follower of Jesus Christ, even in little things.

As I said, it is not always easy to do this. The pressure to go along with the crowd will be great. At times like this, remember that your faith and hope are in God. Remember that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again to redeem you from your sins, to redeem you from that empty way of life. The Lamb of God was slain for you. Live your lives in reverent fear.