Live as You Were Called

Live as You Were Called

1 Peter 1.13-16

13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

God calls Christians to live a certain lifestyle. We are to be holy, set apart to Him. 1 Peter explains that we are to “be holy in all [we] do.” This means that our lives must conform to Christ's standards. That is never easy. The scripture says it requires us to “prepare our minds for action,” for us to “be self-controlled,” and for us to “set [our] hope fully on the grace to be given [us] when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Those are heavy demands, but they are necessary for holy living in the eyes of God.

Beloved, if we are to live as God called us, we must take holy living seriously. How do we implement this? We are told to be “obedient children” and to “not conform to the evil desires [we] had when [we] lived in ignorance.” This requires active participation. Merely coasting through life is exactly the opposite of what Christ demands in holy living. We are to actively “be holy in all [we] do.” Active holiness requires we consider every action we do. Does it line up with scripture? Would Christ do/think/say it?

When we begin to act out holiness, something quite special happens. Our mindset changes. Holiness begins to ooze out of us. It becomes easier and easier to do the will of God. That is not to say that the tasks themselves are any easier. Quite the contrary, holiness will increase in its demands. As reflections of Christ, we become holy because He is holy. Christ suddenly becomes reflected much more abundantly in our lives.

Are you living in seriousness about holiness today? The Lord commands us to do so. We must live as we were called by Christ, and that means we must live not in sin, but in virtue. Live as Christ commanded you, beloved. If you have not been doing so, make it right with Him today. Ask for holiness in your life, so that you may reflect Christ in holiness. Amen.

With love in Christ,


Austin Aldrich