Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:22-25
You just woke up. You're sitting outside sipping on a warm cup of coffee; you're soaking up the crisp morning air and the smell of freshly-cut grass while looking out upon God's beautiful creation. You hear birds chirping, you see flowers blooming- you're in awe. You feel relaxed; at peace. It's the calm before the storm- the calm before you embark on the busy day that lies ahead. Then your alarm goes off. You pull out your phone. Time's up. Dread fills your mind as you force yourself to get up and moving, longing to just press pause, and stay in that moment forever. What if I told you that you could?
In these verses from 1 Peter, we learn that life is short. The freshly-cut grass and blooming flowers that we wish we could enjoy forever are temporary. They are here for a season, and are gone again with the snap of a finger. The good news? "The word of the Lord endures forever." Real, lasting peace isn't found in the wee hours of the morning when all of life seems perfect. It is found in Christ. Even when our lives are in shambles, we can still find that everlasting peace that only Jesus Christ can provide.
What should we do with that encouragement? Extend it to others! Show others the same love that Christ shows you! Choose to "love one another fervently with a pure heart"! Love is a choice! "Fervently" here means to stretch to the limits. So when your husband, father, mother, brother, sister, coworker, employer, friend, [you fill in the blank] are getting on your last nerves? Show them fervent love- because that is what Christ gives to you. Because you're no longer "of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever". And because, let's face it- life is short and eternity is forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment