Read 1 Peter 1:17
Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work
impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
1 Peter 1:17
God will give us many gifts and privileges as we grow in the Christian
life, but He will never give us the privilege to disobey and sin. He
never pampers His children or indulges them. But when His child
obeys and serves Him in love, He notes that obedience and service
and prepares the proper reward.
Peter reminds us that we are only sojourners on earth. Life is too
short to waste in disobedience and sin (1 Peter 4:1–6). It was when
Lot stopped being a sojourner and became a resident in Sodom that
he lost his consecration and his testimony (Gen. 13).
In view of the fact that the Father lovingly disciplines His children
today, and will judge their works in the future, we ought to
cultivate an attitude of “godly fear” (Heb. 12:28 KJV). This is not the
cringing fear of a slave before a master, but the loving reverence of a
child before his father. It is not fear of His judgment, but a fear of
disappointing Him or sinning against His love. It is a sober reverence
for the Father.
Something to Ponder
Think about a sinful behavior or attitude you’ve given up but sometimes
wish you could indulge in again. How does reverence for God
help you overcome that temptation?