Verse of the Day 5/3
New International Version
2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
1 Peter chapter 2 has to do with foundations and building on a firm foundation. He is talking about building the church's foundation on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we then all being fitted together in constructing the church.
You can picture today's verses being given by a new team leader, a coach, manager, or a new public servant coming into office. He is letting everyone know what is expected and clearly indicates a new order., a new way of operating, which necessarily means doing away the old things that hinder any organization from being what it is supposed to be.
Can you picture a president or other leader having his first sit down with his cabinet and starting out with these instructions. "Put away" has to do with purging these things from our minds and hearts. Think of the list, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. It is easy to see all of these things put on display in politics, but before we get ahead of ourselves, how well have we done with eradicating these things from our lives?
The way to go about bringing about the change is to get back into the Word, taking it into our hjearts and applying it in our lives. Theodore Cuyler writes, "We need more sermons in shoes, men and women going up and down the roads of life preaching Christianity by their imitation of Christ, the living stone living in us by grace through faith.
1 The Church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word.
From heav'n he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.
2 Elect from ev'ry nation,
yet one o'er all the earth;
her charter of salvation:
one Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with ev'ry grace endued.
Blessings,
Mike
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
A Living Stone and a Holy People
2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
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