Focal passage: 1 Peter 2:1-10
I worked at Chick-fil-A during my last two years of high school and much of my time in college.
When my responsibility was cooking food in the kitchen, I would finish my shift feeling and smelling like a big, greasy, stinky chicken.
In fact, my wife would insist that I go straight to the shower when I got home, taking off those nasty, greasy clothes and washing off the grease and smell.
She believed that such greasy nastiness had no place in our home. I certainly agreed.
In today’s passage, Peter challenges his readers to put off – things like nasty, dirty clothes – those things which have no place in the transformed life of a follower of Jesus; things like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. But, it was not enough simply to “put off” those things that no longer belonged in their newly transformed lives.
There should also be an accompanying longing/craving for the Word of God in the lives of these believers, similar to that of a newborn infant craving his mother’s milk and not being satisfied until he gets it.
Why is it so important for each follower of Jesus to see such a building of his individual faith through this putting off and putting in?
It is because God is not only working in our lives individually, but is also knitting our lives together corporately, into a great spiritual edifice that will testify to the power and glory of our great God.
He is taking each of our lives – as living stones, given life by being found in the living stone, Jesus Christ – and putting us together into a “spiritual house” that testifies to His excellencies and glory.
As one who has been transformed by Jesus Christ, and through the power of His Spirit – put off those things which no longer belong; crave the milk of His Word; allow Him to fit you together with other believers into a great spiritual house; and intentionally testify, visibly and verbally, of this great God who has done this. He is worthy!