December 5 | 1 Peter 1:17-25

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DAILY READING

1 Peter 1:17-25

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REFLECTION

Resident Aliens

By Terry Gustafson

I have had the privilege to live and work in other countries for extended times. I remember feeling very out of place when we lived in Japan for four months. I knew that I was not like all the other people on the train on my way to work. I looked different and I did not understand the language. The recipients of Peter’s letter were also “strangers in the world” (1:1), dispersed across several Roman provinces in what is now present day Turkey. In these verses, Peter gives instructions about how to live as resident aliens.

• Resident aliens live in reverential fear (v. 17). Our God judges impartially and calls on His people to live a life that demonstrates respect for who He is. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. (Proverbs 1:7) Living in reverential fear provides us with the opportunity to gain wisdom and understanding, pointing others to our heavenly Father.

  
  

• Resident aliens have been redeemed / born again (v.18, 23). We were redeemed by someone, not something. Only the precious blood of Christ can free us from an empty way of life. We belong to a very different world.

  
  

• Resident aliens believe in God (v. 21). We have been issued a new passport. Our new citizenship calls us to live lives with faith and hope in God.

  
  

• Resident aliens believe the truth (v. 22). We are called to an active obedience to the truth. We must both hear the truth and heed the truth. All truth is ultimately God’s truth. And Christians should be those who defend and obey the truth wherever it is found.

  
  

• Resident aliens love one another (v. 22). Our love for one another is grounded in the truth of the Gospel and comes from a pure heart. And a pure heart is only possible if we have been redeemed.

  
  

• Resident aliens are those who trust in the Word of the Lord (v.23). The Word of God is imperishable, living, and enduring. It stands forever. We can be confident putting our trust in God and His promises.

Mary and my passports were heavily used this year, having visited eleven different countries. We can look through our physical passport and see the various stamps from the countries we’ve visited. But we know we have a passport to a heavenly kingdom that is presently not visible, but has already been validated and stamped by the precious blood of Christ.

PRAYER

Repeat the following breath prayer throughout the day:

(Breathe in) Holy and just Heavenly Father

(Breathe out) May I live my brief life in reverent fear

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERRY GUSTAFSON

My wife, Mary, and I have been attending UALC for about 12 years.  We have two grown daughters and one grandchild.  I am a retired professor of chemistry at Ohio State, where I served many years as the faculty advisor to the IVCF graduate student chapter and as a member of the Faculty Christian Fellowship.  I currently have the privilege of serving on the UALC Council.