Bible Devotion - 3/15/2021

BIBLE TEXT FOR THE WEEK:
 1 Peter 1:17-23  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

There's a story told of a man who risked his life to save a boy trapped in a burning building.  The doorway was blocked, the room was filled with smoke, and the child could not find his way out. His rescuer stormed into the house with reckless abandon, retrieving the young man from certain death.  And as the boy was carried from the burning building into the open air, he said,
"Thank you sir, for saving my life."

The man looked deeply into the boy's eyes and give him this profound reply, "Just make sure your life was worth saving."

I think that is something for us all to think about.  Is our life worthy of the risk and cost of the one who would save it?

At the Holocaust Memorial in Israel, there is a place called the "Garden of the Righteous." Thousands of evergreen trees have been planted for an incredibly special reason.  Each one marks the efforts of what the Jewish people have called "Gentile Rescuers."  You see, during the Holocaust, across Europe, non‑Jews risked their lives to rescue Jewish people from the crematoriums of Hitler.  At the museum, there is a research department dedicated to the task of identifying and honoring those who risked their lives to rescue Jews.

Even though you may not have been snatched from the jaws of death like the boy in today’s story or the Jews under the tyrannous regime of Adolph Hitler you need to know that you really have been rescued.  Someone paid the ultimate cost to yank you from the grip of death and everlasting punishment.  And that someone is Jesus Christ.  The story of our being rescued by Jesus lies at the heart of the Gospel.

Knowing this, what should our appropriate response be to this rescue?  How are we to live knowing we've been saved at such a cost?  Peter's exhortation can be summed in one word:  "Remember."

That's what the Jews have done in Israel at the Museum.  They have remembered their gentile rescuers.  And this, in my opinion, is what Peter is asking us to do as well!  Peter says...

1 Peter 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

Peter says we've all been ransomed by God at a great price.  God allowed His precious Son to die on our behalf.  His lifeblood was poured out for each one of us.  Peter urges us to remember this act of redemption and honor it by making sure that our life is truly worth saving.

Because God gave so much in order to rescue us, we can surely trust God.  That's what 1 Peter says...

1 Peter 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

This is powerful, life changing news.  What an awesome God we have!  We've been ransomed by the lifeblood of Christ.

1 Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

God has ransomed us at great cost.  In Christ we have a new lease on life. How will you honor it? How will that cause you to live differently this week?  What will you change today to make sure your life was worth saving in the end?  This is the challenge the Peter presents to us.  We have all been rescued by the blood of Jesus Christ.  It is up to us to make sure our lives are worth saving.


Eternally grateful,

Brother Jeff Sizemore