“Conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:17-19
Scripture reading: 1 Peter 1:17-21
In the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, He instructs us to call His Father our heavenly Father. Peter tells us that if we do call God our Heavenly Father, we should conduct ourselves in a certain way, showing we have a special fear of God.
This fear of God is the opposite of having a fear of man. As children of our heavenly Father, we should first seek to do what is pleasing to Him, not our fellow man. We are to do this while we wait for the time when He will call us to our heavenly home. We are to live our lives, remembering the payment made for us to become part of the family of our heavenly Father. The payment was made with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. May we trust that God, from eternity, wanted to send His son to make this payment so that we could be His beloved children. God sent His Son into this world to sacrifice His life on the cross. He sent His Son to do this so that sinful, undeserving people can call God their loving, heavenly Father.
Do you believe that Jesus paid the price to ransom you from the futile ways of this world to be a beloved child of a heavenly Father? In believing this, you are called to conduct yourself as one who does not fear what man thinks, but what God thinks. As His beloved child, you are called to do what is pleasing to your Heavenly Father.
Suggestions for prayer
That we would grow to fear man less and our heavenly Father more.
Pastor Richard Bultje is a missionary and pastor of the River of Life church plant in Niagara Falls Ontario. It is a church plant under the oversight of the Wellandport United Reformed Church. Pastor Richard and his wife, Yukyung moved to Niagara Falls in November 2012 with their three children, Calvin, Isaiah and Gloria. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
