Daily Devotional for Sunday, November 8
Our Pattern for Service
1 Peter 2:21-25
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed,” 1 Peter 2:24.
When we were children, we were always talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I remember wanting to be a lot of things. For a while, I wanted to be an astronaut; so did all the boys. I especially did because of the astronaut named Wally Shrirra. I also wanted to be an oceanographer, veterinarian and lawyer at different times. And, what boy does not want to be a fireman?
I still have growing-up aspirations. When I spiritually grow up, I want to be like Jesus. When we are born again, one of the early manifestations of that salvation should be our desire to be more like Jesus and less like ourselves. We do not become perfect saints and may not wake up one day perfect like Jesus, but that should be our desire and our goal.
We sometimes overlook the twofold mission Jesus had. Obviously, the most important mission our Lord had was to provide us with redemption from our sin. But He also came to show us how to live in and engage in the world. The word example in the full devotional passage literally means laying two pieces of paper together and tracing the pattern onto the bottom one (verse 21).
The specific example in our passage deals with how Jesus responded to suffering and unfair treatment, and Jesus’ response to that should be ours as well. But this passage should prompt us all to study how Jesus acted throughout His ministry and follow that example. Who are you patterning your life after?
Just a Thought
You can look to many different people for inspiration on how to live, but if you are smart, you will look to Jesus and His example.
Wally Fry