August 7
1 Peter 1:14-16
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.””
An obedient child has a sense of reverence for his parents that causes him to do everything they order him to do. The key reason an obedient child is able to submit to the authority of his parents and do their will is because of reverence. Reverence enables them to obey without question because above all else they revere their parents beyond the norm. As children of God who have been saved into the Kingdom and have been freed from the chains of sin, we also have been given a command not to conform to the evil desires of our old ways. Now in order to fulfill this, we must be empowered and enabled to obey reverentially. This is because obeying is easy (because for most people obedience can be partially doing what they have been told). On the other hand it is the one who has great reverence for authority that obeys to the very T because of reverence.
Ask yourself how much you revere God, because though it may seem as a non-factor the reverence you have for Him also determines your level of obedience to Him. If you revere Him greatly above all else you are likely to do everything He commands of you, but if the reverence isn’t there it’s very easy to disobey without even thinking twice. For even in obedience the the absence of reverence can cause one to disobey. He has called us to greatness, to live a holy life in imitation of Him. Check your heart and do not allow the lack of reverence to cause you to disobey your God.
