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Together in Christ: 'Living into Our Hope with Purpose' — 1 Peter 1:13-14 Friday, November 29, 2024 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. — 1 Peter 1:13-14 NLT Key Thought... In yesterday's devotional, we celebrated our relationship with God in Whom we have life, safety, and a future forever with Him. Today, Peter reminds us of this assurance when he says: Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. If we trust in God and find our security in Him, then there are some implications that our relationship with God has for us in today's verses: We prepare ourselves to live our faith actively each day. We exercise self-control in whatever situations we encounter. We recognize we are God's precious children and find joy in obeying our Father in heaven. We refuse to slip back into our old and destructive ways of living, driven by our appetites. Because we know and love God and live to praise Him in our lives, we live to honor our Lord God in all the things we do in daily routines and also in unwanted surprises. [1] We recognize that we are living sacrifices who refuse to be conformed to the world's destructive ways but rather we live for God. [2] We have a purpose for our lives, and we choose to make them count for God and the Kingdom of God. [3] We are a people who have received the love, grace, and mercy of God and look forward to the full experience of our ultimate salvation with God when this life ends. [4] Our relationship with God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gives us this unshakeable hope. [5] [1] Notice the practical ways of living our worship to God found in Hebrews 12:28-29, 13:1-16. [2] Romans 12:1-2. [3] 1 Peter 2:9-12. [4] 1 Peter 1:6-9, 2:9-10 . [5] Hebrews 12:27-28; Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 6:15-20; Acts 2:25. Today's Prayer O, Father, we love You even though we have never seen You. Even though we do not see You with our eyes now, we trust You and believe we will one day see You face-to-face. We rejoice in You and our relationship with You. Our joy is glorious and inexpressible because You exhaust our ability to praise You and Your majesty and grace. We serve You because You are God and worthy of our worship, devotion, and praise. And, we thank You because we know our reward for trusting You will be the ultimate salvation of our souls, when we will live forever in Your presence. Thank You! I praise You, in the name of Jesus, my Lord. Amen. Related Scripture Readings 1 Peter 1:3-9 1 Peter 2:1-12