MARCH 21, 2013
Make
It Count
Read: 1 Peter 4:1-8
Since Christ suffered
for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the
same mind. —1 Peter 4:1
In
his battle with cancer, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., said:
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever
encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost
everything
—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or
failure
—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is
truly
important.” His suffering influenced the choices he made.
In
contrast, the apostle Peter wanted to motivate his readers to use their
suffering to make their lives count for eternity. And he wanted Jesus’
suffering
and death to inspire them to accept the spiritual conflict and
persecution that
would result from bearing the name of Jesus. Because they
loved Jesus, suffering
was going to be normative. Jesus’ suffering was to serve
as motivation to give
up sinful passions and to be obedient to the will of God
(1 Peter 4:1-2). If their
lives were going to count for eternity, they needed
to stop indulging in fleeting
pleasures and instead exhaust their lives on what
pleased God.
Remembering
that Jesus suffered and died to forgive our sins is the most
important thought
we have to inspire us to make godly choices today and to
make our lives count
for eternity.
Jesus, You have suffered and died to forgive our sin;
may Your death and resurrection inspire us to never
return to where we’ve been. Help us in our resolve
to live for Your will alone.
Jesus’ death forgave my past sins and inspires my present
obedience.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
