“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Peter 1:17)

Let us get one thing clear, the Father is not someone who is just letting you off the hook.  If that were true, then why the death of Jesus?  We are to abide in the life that is offered in and through Christ.  We will either live it or else we won’t.  So yes, we will be judged according to whether we were walking in Christ or not.  But it is Christ who makes this possible.  Through Him alone are we able do anything that pleases the Father.

Do address God as Father and live in His house.  Then follow the rules of the house and respect the Father.  Know that in Him is life and that life is your light.  Listen to His Spirit and do what is asked.  It is no different than any house except that this one is perfect.  That is why Scripture says be perfect even as the Father is perfect.  Do you not know that this completion is the goal of your salvation?

Lord Jesus, through You all things have already been accomplished, but I am still walking the path of faith.  Guide me, dear Lord, so that I may humbly walk according to Your will.  Dear Jesus, through Your shed blood I am forgiven and enabled to walk this path of light and life.  Lead me, O Lord, so that I may now and always humbly listen and obey.  Teach me to pray constantly and be in communion with You so as to fulfill Your perfect will.  Amen.

“[B]ut like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” ( 1 Peter 1:15)

First, let us get straight the word holy.  It is not some superior attitude that we see in a holier-than-thou demeanor.  To be holy is simply to be set apart.  God is holy.  He is set apart in heaven because this wicked world has departed from Him.  When you are called to be holy, it is to step into the life you have been given through faith.  So, walk in the faith you have been given through Christ.

You know how I am living in this world’s ways.  You know where I do not seek Your will, but my own.  You know where I need help.  Lord, You have sent me all the help I need in and through Christ who strengthens me.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way You know I need to go and help me when my steps falter.  I want to be set apart for you.  Help me to be set apart for the eternal way promised in the Gospel.

Lord Jesus, lead the way of my life so that I would humbly walk with You, my Lord and Savior, and be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Help me now and always to know that in You is all hope.  In You is all possibility.  In You is the way of life.  Guide me this day to be set apart for the eternal purpose that You have planted in my heart through grace.  Guide me always, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14)

As obedient children.  The promise of the Gospel is that we are given the power to become children of God.  Because we are born into a new family, do not live as one who is still conforming to the world.  Live as one seeking to be conformed to the life you will have in eternity.  Come and see that in Christ you have the only true hope and future worth living for.

The second part of this is that you are not to be ignorant.  Do not ignore the good news you are being told, as many seem to do.  So many hear the Gospel and like the idea of salvation, but do not want to live the life to which we are all called.  Live into the life of Jesus which is yours by grace through faith.  Move out of the old life and into the new life, taste and see that the Lord is always good, kind, merciful, and gracious.

Lord Jesus, You know that without You any of these thoughts would be impossible.  I am tugged by this world to stay in its fleshly desires.  I am afraid in my circumstances, and  I want things that do not matter.  I make commitments for the sake of goodness and then go back on them seconds later.  Help me, dear Lord, to move beyond these things so that I may live into the promise You give me through grace.  Amen.

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

Fix your hope.  How we are tossed about to and fro by the winds of this world.  We chase after whatever carrot is dangling in front of us.  We do not see things as they are, only as they are presented.  Do not be drunk on the whims of this world.  We are fed pablum all day long. Fix your hope means fixing your hope on the grace of Jesus Christ and knowing that He will lead you to your eternal home.

Lord, I do flitter around in all kinds of directions believing this and that.  Guide me away from the spirit of this age so that I may see with reason the truth that You have revealed once for all.  Lead me according to Your goodness in order that I may now and always look to You above all things.  Lead me now and forever in the truth so that I may overcome the lies of this age and  cast them out of my heart.  Keep my eyes upon You Lord.

Lord Jesus, You have commanded that we go and share the Good News.  Prepare my heart and mind to understand and know the goodness that You have given me through grace.  Lead me in that goodness in order that I may now and always abide in the truth of the salvation You have given me and live according to the truth.  Teach me to be sober in spirit so that I may fix my hope upon You.  Amen.

“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things into which angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12).

We are not to serve just ourselves, but we are to serve our neighbors.  So many think selfishly only in terms of the self.  Do not be led astray by sinful desires but be led by the One who has redeemed you.  Come into His presence and live according to the goodness of His mercy.  He  will lead you in all things, including what the Father desires for you to do each day.  Look to the One who saves as He guides you each day.

Lord, You know where I wander and wonder.  You have given hope upon hope and yet the smallest distraction in this world leads me astray.  Guide me, dear Lord, to know that in You alone is all hope and a future worth living for.  In Your goodness and by your Holy Spirit, guide me now and forever that through all You would have me do, others will be served according to Your eternal purpose.

Dear Lord Jesus, with great intentionality You marched to the cross.  Through Your death and resurrection, You have led the way so that all who follow You may come out of death and into light and life.  Guide my words and deeds this day so that in all that is said and done, I may see the Father’s will being done through me.  Abide richly in me this day in order that I may live according to Your purpose.  Amen.

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow” (1 Peter 1:10-11).

The Spirit of Christ?  Yes, the Spirit of Christ.  Before all worlds, the Lord IS.  We are not talking about something that has been made up along the way, but about the way, truth, and life that has been revealed to us once for all.  Do not think that we are to become religious when, in fact, we are to follow the person of Christ and become like Him.  The Spirit of Christ dwells in those who believe.

What then?  Faith is not something you figure out, but something God has given you that you may have the power to become a child of God.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in the hope of glory which is yours in Christ.  Do not worry about times or seasons but place your hope in the One who has saved you by grace through faith.

Lord Jesus, grant that Your Spirit would dwell richly in me and that I may be conformed more and more each day to Your image.  You are leading me along the path of salvation.  According to Your goodness and mercy, help me this day to focus upon what You would have me do.  Show me the steps to take and what You would have me say so that I may listen to You and not to the world.  Amen.

“[O]btaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9).

You know that many seem to live as though salvation were an insurance policy, or product warranty that one obtains rather than a way of life.  The outcome of faith is salvation.  The object of faith is the Lord Jesus.  Our hope is that He will conform us to His image as He makes of us what we will become.  The Lord is preparing those who come into the light to live as we were created to live.

Lord, help me see through the anxieties of this age which demand instant results, expecting self-centered guarantees.  Lead me into living the life You have given me by Your grace and guide me according to Your example to see that I am prepared for what is to come.  Help me now and always that I may look to You in faith and live as one who believes Your promises.  Strengthen me in the faith You have given me.

Lord Jesus, You have freed me to overcome the obstacles that I could never overcome on my own to live into the life that I cannot obtain on my own.  Help me to see that You are my hope and that only in You are these things possible.  Help me, Lord Jesus, today and each day You give me so that I may move forward in this grace You have given me.  May the result of my faith be my salvation.  Amen.

“[A]nd though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8)

People of faith are to live by faith.  Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the conviction of things hoped for.  Our hope is that the day will come when we shall see our Savior face to face.  Between that time and now, we live in hope because Christ has done all that is needed. We are redeemed and freed to live into the life to which He has called us.  Come then in love and hope and live by faith in Him.

Lord, there are those difficult days in which I am unable to see Your provision.  Firm up my faith and help me in times of doubt so that I may be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Lead me according to what You know needs to happen and help me to have joy in the hope You give me through this faith which sustains me.  Guide me into all goodness in order that I may have a foretaste of the inexpressible joy and glory of Your eternal presence.

Lord Jesus, even with the apostles there were some who would not believe until You took them by the hand and showed them.  Help me in my doubts and guide me in Your goodness to know that in You alone is there all hope and an eternal future.  You have taken all who believe and brought us to the place where we live by faith that we may be united with You forever.  Guide me this day in the will of the Father and help me where I need it.  Amen.

“[S]o that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7)

What is the most precious thing to you?  Your faith in Christ is the most precious thing there is in your life, but is that true for you?  If you are out of sync, then learn how to live in such a way that your life is following the way of Jesus.  He is the One who is saving you, but in order to be saved, you need to follow His lead.  Come then and live according to the goodness and mercy of the Lord.

Lord, I get caught up in the way of the world and I am distracted.  I want what the world says I should want.  I do not go to that place where I desire what You would have me desire.  Guide me Lord up and away from the way of the world and into the narrow path of salvation.  Help me to spend my time and energy preparing for the day when I shall meet You face to face and then know fully what You have always known.

Lord Jesus, You have come so that we might have the abundant life.  Guide me in the narrow way in order that I would clearly see those things which get in the way of my living that life.  Help me to spend the needed time and energy in the right things and to prioritize what is important.  You are leading and teaching me how to follow so that I fully participate in this promised life that You give.  Amen.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6)

How do you view life?  In what ways are you inspired to do things.  Are you guided by what you know from the world, even though what you do is good, or are you inspired by the way of the Lord?  Look to the Lord first.  He told you that there are to be no other gods before Him.  Live then into the faith you have been given so that you may be guided by His eternal goodness.

Lord, I am educated in the schools, or at least in schools of thought, and by what I hear at church.  I spend way more time listening to music, watching television, and scouring the internet than I do paying attention to You.  My mind is filled with conflicting ideas.  Lead me, O Lord, to see that You alone are the Eternal One.  You are the One through whom all things have their being.  Lead me to always look to You as my first priority.

Lord Jesus, You came in order that we may have eternal life.  Guide me this day so that what You have taught me is foremost in my mind.  By Your example, help me to meet all the challenges of this day.  In You, let me have hope.  May the things I think, say, and do, be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Show me by Your word, O Lord, how to live life; living toward the eternity in which I will spend with You.  Amen.