“Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:21)
We started out this week-long study of 1 Peter 1:13-21 by asking, “Who are you?” The reason for the question is because our choices often follow our sense of identity. In other words, we tend to act like the person we think we are.
If I think of myself as a baseball fan, it makes sense to me to say “yes” when invited to go watch a game with someone. If I think of myself as “good student,” I’ll usually choose to study for tests instead of just blowing them off. If I think of myself as the kind of person who hates country music, I’ll turn it off (or complain about it) every time I hear it.
As Christians, we must place one part of our identity above all the others. We are Christians. That is, we are children of God who believe in him, obey him, and live for him. When we remember that is who we are, we are more likely to choose to live like it. When we forget – or want to forget – that is who we are, we make choices to do the opposite of what someone who is God’s child would do.
Think: Would you say that your faith and hope are ultimately in God because you have trusted in Jesus for your salvation? If you were watching your own life from the outside, would you say your choices line up with your identity as a child of God?
Pray: Assuming that you are a Christian, thank God for helping you to believe in him through faith in Jesus. Ask him to help you to live like someone who believes in him this week.
Do: Read 1 Peter 1:22-25 to follow Peter’s train of thought through to the end of the chapter.