1 Peter 4:1-4
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do-living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.
These verses really stuck in my mind after listening to a sermon last night by Afshin Ziafat on Godly Contentment (awesome sermon btw!!). One part in particular was, “spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do.”
Peter knows that life is about our communion with God and others, and he knows that sin gets in the way of both of those. When we sin, we are wasting the short amount of time on this earth that we have because that is time spent out of communion with God and others. Why would we choose something so meaningless and unfulfilling as sin instead of the all fulfilling, all meaningful relationship with our Lord and Saviour? It is ridiculous! We have already wasted the part of our lives when we did not yet know Christ, why would we continue wasting time now by returning to those “evil human desires?” We should live instead for the will of God which leads to a deep, intimate relationship with our Creator and Lover who knows and loves us more than anyone else. Psalm 139:12-16.
I pray that we will see and expenience the joy that comes from a relationship with God and that our fickle hearts would be reminded constantly of how much of a waste it is for us to chase after anything but our Saviour!
