Wednesday, July 16, 2014

1 Peter 4:2: Abandoning Self Will

“. . . live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God.”
1 Peter 4:2 (NRSV)

Total abandonment of self will, emptying oneself of all desires and motivations that are not geared toward the Gospel, is at the root of Peter's message. We are called to devote our lives to God and be Christ-like. As difficult as this may be, we are called to love in all situations, living our earthly lives in serving God's will, not ours. That is a tall order but one for which God is willing to give at least sufficient grace. True conversion happens when we not only think about abandoning the self will, but when our hearts truly search out and notice habits and actions that need changing, and we actively change them. Allowing Jesus to enter our hearts and act through us, we give God permission to use us as conduits of His mercy, love, peace, and light.

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