Today’s passage: 1 Peter 1:13-21
Helpful thoughts:
- Hoping in Jesus is not a mystical or mindless action. We are called on to prepare our minds for action and to be sober-minded.
- We do not seek holiness it to earn eternal life. We seek holiness because our Father is holy.
- We do not have eternal life because of our holiness or righteousness. We have eternal life because God the Son, who was before the creation of the world, took on humanity/flesh and died in our place. He rose from the dead and is glorified in Heaven right now.
Questions to consider:
- How does thinking about the Gospel (And believing in Jesus!) cause us to hope in Him alone? How does preaching the Gospel to yourself change your perspective from a self-centered hope to God-centered hope?
- How does thinking about the Gospel (And believing in Jesus!) cause us to pursue holiness? Why will we be more successful in our pursuit of holiness by acknowledging God’s initiating grace (God-centered hope) than by our own efforts (Self-centered hope)?
- How does our Gospel-centered, God-centered pursuit of holiness help us in times of suffering? Did God command us to pursue a lack of suffering or to pursue holiness? Can you pursue holiness while you suffer?