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As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior (1 Peter 1:14-15, NASB).
First Peter 1:14-15 is a “life verse” for me as I memorized it over 50 years ago, and repeat it daily. It has saved me.
All Christians deal with “life issues” or sin patterns that will afflict them throughout their entire Christian walk with Jesus. Think about it. What attitude, action, addiction, or feeling continually haunts you? How long have you dealt with it?
Becoming a Christian straight from a sin-infested lifestyle as a hippie, I memorized 1 Peter 1:14-15 within a few weeks of becoming a believer. Wanting to mature in Christ, considering the obstacles that my former life presented, I would wake up in the morning and pray, “God, enable me to be an obedient child today. Help me not do the things that I did in the past. I want to be like You.”
In over 50 years, I’ve not had a major stumble from any of my hippie days ’ ungodliness. Why? I repeat 1 Peter 1:14-15 often. Below, I list other points about maturing in Christ that I’ve learned from repeatedly thinking of these two verses.
- Holiness comes from an obedient heart. I want to obey — that’s my heart. I don’t want to compromise or justify. I pray often, “Lord, give me a pure heart of obedience.”
- The passage says, “as obedient children.” Maturity in Christ originates from a childlike relationship with our heavenly Father. We begin to love God more than sin: “Father, change my heart to love you more than sin.”
- Holiness is a good thing. Growing up in a conservative Christian home, I often thought holiness was about what you couldn’t do — like not having long hair, drinking alcohol, missing church on Sunday, or wearing polyester suits on the Lord’s Day. This verse taught me holiness is the character of God — traits like love, peace, joy, kindness, and self-control. Often, I pray, “Your holiness contains the good stuff; give me this fruit of the Spirit so that I can enjoy life.”
- Obedience means compliance with what is heard. Let me repeat that holiness means doing what God tells us. There are generalized lists of obedience for all of us in the Bible — think Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes — but our personal holiness, empowerment, and freedom come from hearing and obeying God’s voice as He leads us daily (Galatians 5:25).
- Holiness is interactive. This is a mystery, but there is a stepping out on our part, followed by an infilling of strength from the Holy Spirit. We must obey, but God is in charge of our success. I’ve considered the quandary for years, and still don’t understand it, but when I pray, “God, make me like you,” it works.
I’ve found that my discipline of simply repeating one verse doesn’t earn favor with God. I’m not getting into heaven merely because I memorized 1 Peter 1:14-5, but these verses allow me to start the day in the presence of God, and He takes it from there.
I challenge you to memorize 1 Peter 1:14-15 and repeat it daily for a month as you get up in the morning. It’s been the key for me to mature in Christ. It will be for you as well.