Daily Devotion

The basic commandment that Peter lists here is that a Christian should abstain from fleshly desires.  It is of the greatest importance that we see what Peter means by this. In the New Testament flesh stands for far more than the physical nature of the human. It stands for human nature apart from God; it means unredeemed human nature; it means a life lived without the standards, the help, the grace, and the influence of Jesus.  Fleshly desires and sins of the flesh include not only the grosser sins but all that is characteristic of fallen human nature.  From these sins and desires, the Christian must abstain. As Peter sees it, there are reasons for this abstinence.

 

The Christian must abstain from these sins because he is a stranger and a pilgrim. The words are quite common Greek words and they describe someone who is only temporarily resident someplace and whose home is somewhere else. They are used to describe the patriarchs in their wanderings and especially Abraham who went out not knowing where he was to go and whose search was for a city whose maker and builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-13). They are used to describe the children of Israel when they were slaves and strangers in the land of Egypt before they entered into the Promised Land.

 

 

For the rest of your life determine to choose only the things that will please God and not just those things you may want.