Oppose Sin by doing the Will of God (1 Peter 4:2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

                                                                                                Date:  01-27-03

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Oppose sin by doing the will of God

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 4:2

            Message of the verse:  “As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”  (NIV)  “And you won’t spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.”  (NLT)

            If I understand the flow of these two verses in chapter four, they seem to say that Christ suffered in the flesh to put away sin, and when a believer suffers in the flesh he will not be thinking about sinning, but will want to do the will of God, as written in verse two.  Peter is writing to believers who have, or will go through persecution for the cause of Christ, and persecutions have a way of speeding up the process of sanctification, so that we become more like Christ more rapidly.  Peter is saying to forget the way that you were before you were saved, and to be anxious to do the will of God.  Psalm 33:11 speak about the will of God:  “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.” Nothing, or no one will ever be able to change the will of God for what He wants to accomplish upon this earth.  Mankind cannot ever change God’s plans, even though at times it seems that God is nowhere around.  God does not pay His bills, (so to speak), at the end of the week.  Believers can know what the will of God is for their lives, and they can prove the will of God for their lives as Romans 12:2 speaks of.

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  Part of doing the will of God is trusting Him completely when going through a trial so that perseverance will be gained in my life, and so that God will build character into my life, so that somewhere down the road I will be able to help someone else out who is going through similar trials.

Again, as I read and studied this passage in 1Peter 4, I have been challenged by the Word to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to give me peace, and not fall to the temptations of Satan, as I go through this trial.  To trust the Lord to do His will in the lives of Kim and Tim.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 119:11

Thy Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.