October 2 | 1 Peter 2:1-3

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DAILY READING

1 Peter 2:1-3

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REFLECTION

Putting Aside

By Michael Johnson

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (ESV). 

As a chaplain who currently serves two nursing homes on the eastern side of the Columbus metro, I spend plenty of time with residents who are in various stages of health. At times, the residents are sick or even have to spend time in a hospital. Regardless of their location, I have the opportunity of visiting with them and sharing Christ. The challenge for me comes when my workday ends, since I am so used to coming home and sitting on a couch, visiting with my wife, helping my kids with homeschool work and being oblivious to the fact that my clothing has a very good likelihood of being covered with germs, bacteria and so forth. When I make the decision not to immediately change my clothes when I come home, I spread whatever germs I have come across to everything that I touch in the house. I thought about that when I read verse 1 of our devotional Text. Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is calling us to put all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander away. Why? Those things can and do affect us in ways that hurt our relationship with the Lord and others as well. Quite simply, these things need to be put away. This putting away has the idea of putting aside a garment just as we would if it were dirty. 

My friend, how is it going with you in this task of putting these things aside? By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit is actively involved in this process on a daily basis. As a result, we will no longer be hindered by various items that have the potential of causing great harm in ourselves and others, too. Instead, our focus will be on Jesus, as we grow in Him (verse 2) and experience His goodness on a daily basis (verse 3).

PRAYER

Lord God, please forgive me of those times that I have been so lax or stubborn in putting away those things in verse 1 that cause so much damage. Instead, enable me to focus on You and experiencing Your goodness each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson is happily married to his wife, Gracia. They have three children—Andrew, Maggie, and Sadie—and live in Gahanna with their two dogs. Michael is an ordained Lutheran pastor currently serving at Otterbein Senior Life as a chaplain.