“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things into which angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12).

We are not to serve just ourselves, but we are to serve our neighbors.  So many think selfishly only in terms of the self.  Do not be led astray by sinful desires but be led by the One who has redeemed you.  Come into His presence and live according to the goodness of His mercy.  He  will lead you in all things, including what the Father desires for you to do each day.  Look to the One who saves as He guides you each day.

Lord, You know where I wander and wonder.  You have given hope upon hope and yet the smallest distraction in this world leads me astray.  Guide me, dear Lord, to know that in You alone is all hope and a future worth living for.  In Your goodness and by your Holy Spirit, guide me now and forever that through all You would have me do, others will be served according to Your eternal purpose.

Dear Lord Jesus, with great intentionality You marched to the cross.  Through Your death and resurrection, You have led the way so that all who follow You may come out of death and into light and life.  Guide my words and deeds this day so that in all that is said and done, I may see the Father’s will being done through me.  Abide richly in me this day in order that I may live according to Your purpose.  Amen.

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow” (1 Peter 1:10-11).

The Spirit of Christ?  Yes, the Spirit of Christ.  Before all worlds, the Lord IS.  We are not talking about something that has been made up along the way, but about the way, truth, and life that has been revealed to us once for all.  Do not think that we are to become religious when, in fact, we are to follow the person of Christ and become like Him.  The Spirit of Christ dwells in those who believe.

What then?  Faith is not something you figure out, but something God has given you that you may have the power to become a child of God.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in the hope of glory which is yours in Christ.  Do not worry about times or seasons but place your hope in the One who has saved you by grace through faith.

Lord Jesus, grant that Your Spirit would dwell richly in me and that I may be conformed more and more each day to Your image.  You are leading me along the path of salvation.  According to Your goodness and mercy, help me this day to focus upon what You would have me do.  Show me the steps to take and what You would have me say so that I may listen to You and not to the world.  Amen.

“[O]btaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9).

You know that many seem to live as though salvation were an insurance policy, or product warranty that one obtains rather than a way of life.  The outcome of faith is salvation.  The object of faith is the Lord Jesus.  Our hope is that He will conform us to His image as He makes of us what we will become.  The Lord is preparing those who come into the light to live as we were created to live.

Lord, help me see through the anxieties of this age which demand instant results, expecting self-centered guarantees.  Lead me into living the life You have given me by Your grace and guide me according to Your example to see that I am prepared for what is to come.  Help me now and always that I may look to You in faith and live as one who believes Your promises.  Strengthen me in the faith You have given me.

Lord Jesus, You have freed me to overcome the obstacles that I could never overcome on my own to live into the life that I cannot obtain on my own.  Help me to see that You are my hope and that only in You are these things possible.  Help me, Lord Jesus, today and each day You give me so that I may move forward in this grace You have given me.  May the result of my faith be my salvation.  Amen.

“[A]nd though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8)

People of faith are to live by faith.  Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the conviction of things hoped for.  Our hope is that the day will come when we shall see our Savior face to face.  Between that time and now, we live in hope because Christ has done all that is needed. We are redeemed and freed to live into the life to which He has called us.  Come then in love and hope and live by faith in Him.

Lord, there are those difficult days in which I am unable to see Your provision.  Firm up my faith and help me in times of doubt so that I may be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Lead me according to what You know needs to happen and help me to have joy in the hope You give me through this faith which sustains me.  Guide me into all goodness in order that I may have a foretaste of the inexpressible joy and glory of Your eternal presence.

Lord Jesus, even with the apostles there were some who would not believe until You took them by the hand and showed them.  Help me in my doubts and guide me in Your goodness to know that in You alone is there all hope and an eternal future.  You have taken all who believe and brought us to the place where we live by faith that we may be united with You forever.  Guide me this day in the will of the Father and help me where I need it.  Amen.

“[S]o that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7)

What is the most precious thing to you?  Your faith in Christ is the most precious thing there is in your life, but is that true for you?  If you are out of sync, then learn how to live in such a way that your life is following the way of Jesus.  He is the One who is saving you, but in order to be saved, you need to follow His lead.  Come then and live according to the goodness and mercy of the Lord.

Lord, I get caught up in the way of the world and I am distracted.  I want what the world says I should want.  I do not go to that place where I desire what You would have me desire.  Guide me Lord up and away from the way of the world and into the narrow path of salvation.  Help me to spend my time and energy preparing for the day when I shall meet You face to face and then know fully what You have always known.

Lord Jesus, You have come so that we might have the abundant life.  Guide me in the narrow way in order that I would clearly see those things which get in the way of my living that life.  Help me to spend the needed time and energy in the right things and to prioritize what is important.  You are leading and teaching me how to follow so that I fully participate in this promised life that You give.  Amen.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6)

How do you view life?  In what ways are you inspired to do things.  Are you guided by what you know from the world, even though what you do is good, or are you inspired by the way of the Lord?  Look to the Lord first.  He told you that there are to be no other gods before Him.  Live then into the faith you have been given so that you may be guided by His eternal goodness.

Lord, I am educated in the schools, or at least in schools of thought, and by what I hear at church.  I spend way more time listening to music, watching television, and scouring the internet than I do paying attention to You.  My mind is filled with conflicting ideas.  Lead me, O Lord, to see that You alone are the Eternal One.  You are the One through whom all things have their being.  Lead me to always look to You as my first priority.

Lord Jesus, You came in order that we may have eternal life.  Guide me this day so that what You have taught me is foremost in my mind.  By Your example, help me to meet all the challenges of this day.  In You, let me have hope.  May the things I think, say, and do, be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Show me by Your word, O Lord, how to live life; living toward the eternity in which I will spend with You.  Amen.

“[T]o obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5).

We are living in an age of defilement.  Every disease, every plague, every crime is the result of sin.  We are reminded of this each day.  But this is temporary.  The day is coming and in the hope Christ gives us now, we can and do know that we are not living in this state forever.  We are called to live toward the hope of that day when all is imperishable and immortal.  Live in this hope and know that the eternal day is coming.

Lord, let me not be fatalistic, nor defeated, but grateful and filled with joy that You have already overcome all the wickedness of this world.  Guide me in the way of salvation so that I may now and always walk according to Your will and in the way laid before me by You.  Help me to walk each step in Your grace and with mercy so that I may now and always walk in the hope of the salvation which is mine through You.

Lord Jesus, You were purposeful about all of the things You did.  As You headed to the cross, You left timeless stories to help us walk the way of truth.  Guide me this day by Your word in order that I may walk the narrow path as You lead me to see Your hand upon my life.  Lead me to do what is right in Your sight and according to the Father’s will.  Through all that comes this day, may I live in the newness of life that You give by grace.  Amen.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)

Born to a living hope is not born to what you will be, for that we do not yet know, but born again by the living hope which is Christ.  He who has accomplished your salvation is leading you as your salvation unfolds through the actions of your life.  Come then and be in the journey which Christ leads.  Be a willing follower who looks to the Lord for each step of the journey.

Lord, I like to think in terms of immediacy.  You are not slow as those who are impatient see slowness, but intentional so that I am not fully aware of all that You are doing.  Lead me away from wanting to know the outcome to a desire to learn obedience.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life so that I may now and forever be led by You, my living hope, into the goodness of Your grace and mercy.

Jesus, You have taught us to believe in You.  You have told us that You go to prepare a place.  As I walk this journey of faith, help me to live in the hope into which I was born through You.  When I reach the end of this age or my life, may what I still have is hope in You.  Help me to live in that hope each and every day.  Guide me according to the Father’s will that I may be led by You to that better country.  Amen.

“To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1 Peter 1:1-2).

I suppose it is no longer politically correct to think this way, so whether you listen to the Word or the world, we forge ahead with the idea of being alien, even if the world says this is our home.  Home is where the heart is.  Is your heart set on the things of this world, or upon where you will be forever.  Know that if your heart is set upon heaven, in the Lord, you still very much care for the earth; the opposite, not so much.

Lord, You have called for us to be stewards.  Stewards don’t own, they just care for what is entrusted to them.  Everything in my possession belongs to You.  Teach me to care for all things as a steward knowing that this is not my home.  Being with You is my home.  Guide me in the way I should go in order that I may be led into that better country where I am no longer an alien and sojourner.

Lord Jesus, You did not come just to make us better people in this place.  You came that we might go with You on a journey into eternity.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of everlasting life so that I may be guided by Your goodness and mercy.  Help me to walk with You knowing that You alone know the way, for You are the way.  Guide me in the new life You have given me and help me to rejoice in Your grace with thanksgiving.  Amen.

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

If your focus is upon another and not upon yourself, that is an important first step in relating with one’s neighbor.  We are called to care for one another and help each other as we journey with Jesus.  Come then and be a help to others so that we each may grow in the likeness of Christ.  Christ alone redeems us, but we too have our part; for God has chosen to work through means.  Come then and live according to the Word of God and be led by the One who redeemed you.

Lord, in You alone is all hope.  But especially in these self-serving times, I focus too much upon myself.  Lead me, Lord, in the way of everlasting life in order that I may now and always be guided by You.  Help me to understand that You have provided the way of life and that I cannot go by my own direction.  Without You I am lost.  Only the One who has descended can ascend because only He knows the way (and is the way).

Lead on, O King eternal, our Savior Jesus, for You who are from eternity have come to lead into eternity those who will not perish, but have everlasting life.  Guide me, Lord, to see that in You is all hope and the only future worth living.  Keep me and others around me from error so that we may live peaceful lives that conform to the Father’s will, the way You have laid before us.  Amen.