“If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.”
Every word of God is perfect and true, for He is perfect and eternal. So we must sit and be intentional in our study and meditation on the next portion of scripture. In the previous devotional, we were reminded how we are expected to be holy as our Father is holy, for we represent His kingdom to the world who does not know Him. The reason we are making ourselves holy as God is holy is that we have understood the first commandment, to love God with all of our hearts, minds and strength.
If you have grasped the foundation of loving God leading you to be holy, you will be prompted to work towards the second commandment, which is where today’s scripture finds its foundation; to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Peter is reminding us that God will impartially (without favour) judge the work we do for Him. Jesus has a commission and plan for all of us.
He sent out His disciples with clear instructions on what to do. Paul was given a clear mission to the Gentiles. The early acts church was so moved by what God wanted them to do that they were happy to sell all they had for God’s plan. The letters of Paul show business owners used their resources to fund the gospel message and used their larger houses for church gatherings.
Everyone who talks to God as their Father will be given a direction of what He wants for them to do with their lives which we should be willingly offering as a sacrifice for God’s glory (Romans 12:1). If you do not have a clear vision for the work’s God has laid out for you, then I ask of you to dedicate the next portion of time towards receiving your vision from God, for where there is no vision the people perish.
Once you have established the work God has laid on your life, we can move on to the following important statement made by Peter; “you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.”. We must get hold of what it means to conduct yourselves in reverence.
The Greek word for reverence (also translated as fear) is φόβος(phobos). This word is intended to strike fear, dread or terror, or reverence for one’s husband. So if we understand that we should be conducting our work from the point of phobos, it will help us reflect on the current truth of our work with God. We must not sit in this relaxed atmosphere that many hold towards obedience to God’s ways and truth (relaxed and indifferent over disobedience and misrepresentation).
The prophets show that when God speaks a rebuke to His people if it is met from a heart motive of phobos (people would wear sackcloth, cover themselves in ashes, pray and cry out to God in fasting), He would turn His rightful judgment away from them and bless them instead. The same is still valid for us today; when we fall away from God’s work He has told us to do, we must tread with fear and reverence before Him as we grasp the forgiveness available through the Blood of Jesus.
Furthermore, we must conduct ourselves in ALL of our actions with this foothold in our minds. Our work, our lives, our hobbies, our finances, our clothing and our habits must all exemplify a life of holiness and working for the truth of God (that He wishes for all to be saved and offered the opportunity of forgiveness and restoration to Him).
We set ourselves on a foundation of love for God, which drives us to go out then and do work, which is loving people as we love ourselves, and we sit in a position of fear and reverence before God to be obedient to Him.
Today establish yourself in this important foundation, all of work will be judged impartially be God. So be wary, ensure you are holy as God is Holy and ensure you are doing the works for God in a way that showcases the holiness and perfection of our God.
