1 Peter 1:14–16 – “14as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
 
I remember taking my boys to a restaurant, and as I was up walking around getting some food, somebody called me over by name. They said, "Josh," and I looked and recognized some lifelong friends of my parents. I hadn't seen them since I was a kid, but I went up to them and warmly greeted them. These were sisters, and they asked, “Do you remember us?” And I said, "Certainly I remember you." I said, "I am surprised you recognized me." They said, “We knew it was you… You walk just like him." I asked, "What do you mean?" They said, "You walk just like your father." As a grown man, I was looking over some old family photos, when I came across a picture of my dad in a sleep position. I thought, “That’s my natural sleep position.” Now, I haven’t tried to model my dad in how he walked or slept. It’s just natural to me. I share similar traits with my parents.
 
I spoke with someone years ago who told me about their siblings who didn’t realize either existed. They were separated at birth and adopted into families from different countries. Decades went by, but they were curious about the possibility of having siblings. They found one another by researching online, and they met up with each other in their late thirties. As they talked about themselves to each other, they realized they stood the same way. They had similar tastes in food. They also discovered they responded similarly to different events that had happened in their lives. It was just natural to them. They reflected one another because they came from the same parents.
 
In the same way, God has planted His Spirit inside of His children. We should naturally reflect Him, no matter what environment we find ourselves in. If you're in a Roman colony, if you're in America, if you're in a workplace or school that is hostile to your Christian faith, you can be holy. Why? Because there's something on the inside of you that is different than what the world has all around them, and His name is Jesus. His Spirit is on the inside of each one of us and “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We can be holy, because He is holy.
 
Notice this phrase - “as obedient children.” We know slaves have to obey their masters. We know that employees obey their bosses. However, sons and daughters should WANT TO obey their parents. In the same way, we as children of God, should be able to say from our heart, “I WANT TO please the Lord Jesus Christ.”
 
Paul said in Galatians 1:10, “I'm no longer a people pleaser. I only live to please God. If I were still a people pleaser, I would not be the servant of Christ” (see 1996 New Living Translation). You're not going to be able to please this world and please God. You're going to have to make a decision. 1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” In the Greek he is really saying “Stop loving the world.”
 
James 4:4 says, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Your allegiance is to one or the other. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money).”
 
When Peter says, “Be holy, for I am holy,” he is quoting Leviticus. Imagine the scene from Isaiah 6:1-8, where Isaiah sees a vision of heaven, with angels surrounding the throne of God. They are saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.” This word means “pure,” “distinct,” or “separate.” This describes how the Christian can be viewed as well.
 
Don't be afraid of being the only person you know of that is standing for God’s Word. Don’t be afraid of being the only person you know of that is going a certain direction, as long as you are sure it is following God’s Word. There's coming a day when we'll exit this world, and we'll stand before God. As a Christian, don't you want to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” If I haven't pleased anyone else, I want to please God.
 
“Dear God, I want to reflect You to a watching world. I want to be holy. Please continue to work inside of my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may express the character of Jesus Christ. I love You. In Jesus’ name, amen."

1 Peter 1:13–16 (NKJV) – “13Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
 
We don't talk an awful lot about holiness even in the church of Jesus Christ today. We talk about accommodating culture. We talk about "when in Rome, do as the Romans do". Yet Peter would immediately say, it doesn't matter where you are, you are to live your life in a way that reflects the Christian convictions that God has put inside of you. He has not just saved you from an eternal judgment in hell, but He has transformed your life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, it says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature".
 
Something brand new has happened inside of you, which is unchangeable but can only develop and grow. This is described in Philippians 1:6, which says, “He who began a good work will bring it to completion.” God has started a good work inside of you, and He will carry it forward till its completion in eternity.
 
What is that “good work”? Why didn't God just take us to heaven? According to Romans 8:29, God predestined those whom He foreknew to become like His Son. In other words, our primary aim in life should be to gradually conform to the image of Jesus Christ, to become more like Him each day. Our goal should be to resemble Jesus more tomorrow than we do today, and more next year than we do now.
 
Has the Holy Spirit started to change things in your life since you acknowledged Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Are your tastes, conversations, time, and friends different now? Are the jokes that once made you laugh now uncomfortable because they do not honor or glorify God? If your answer is yes, then you are on the right track. But if not, it's time to reevaluate and make changes. A Christian should want their lifestyles to honor Jesus and glorify God. This is holiness.
 
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to live our lives differently than those who do not know Him. We should not be surprised when the world behaves in a worldly manner. However, when the church begins to behave like the world, it should cause us to pause and re-evaluate our Christian walk.
 
How can I live a pure life in the midst of a sinful world? Right living begins with right thinking.
 
Peter says, "Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober." Modern versions translate this phrase as “Prepare your minds for action.” Maybe we would say, “Roll up your sleeves,” or “Put on your belt,” or “Put your shoes on.” The imagery is one of mental readiness.
 
In the book of Exodus, the story of the Passover is recounted. God had planned to send the angel of death to the Egyptians, but the following day all of Israel would leave Egypt with the riches of the land. God tells them to eat the Passover meal and “Gird yourself tonight” because the next day they would leave Egypt. He says they will be free tomorrow so be ready tonight. That’s the same phrase “gird yourselves.”
 
There's a story in the Old Testament where Elijah is excited about the possibility of rain that he outruns a chariot. Before he begins to run, he “girds his loins.”
 
In Peter’s day, as in these other instances, people would wear long robes. It was fine to walk that way, but when someone wanted to run, they had to tuck the ends of their robe into their belt, which would allow them more freedom of movement.
 
What does Peter mean when he says “gird the loins of your mind”? He's trying to help you see that the actions come after the thoughts. What we're doing today is in part a result of how we thought yesterday. Craig Groeschel wrote a book in 2021 entitled “Winning the War in Your Mind.” The whole book uses psychology and the Bible to basically teach us how our attitudes determine our actions, how our outlook determines our outcome, and how our beliefs determine our behavior. We are not just acting out of nowhere - we're acting because of our mind. Right living begins with right thinking.
 
Solomon would agree in Proverbs 23:7, which says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” We think and then we act. Peter is saying here that before you decide to do something different, you're going to have to think something different. Before you live a holy life, you're going to first have to think it through. Prepare your minds for action. Don’t be mentally lazy. Don’t let just anyone tell you what to think or how to think. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Think God’s thoughts.
 
The world says, “It’s not sin,” but God says it is. Think God’s thoughts. The world says, “I have to live this way,” but God says a Christian is free from sin. Think God’s thoughts. If you don’t take time to listen to God’s Word, you will buy into the deception of this world. Rick Warren once said, “Behind every self-defeating behavior or habit is a lie that I am believing.” Jesus says in John 8:32, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
 
“Dear Lord, I admit that there have been times when I am mentally lazy. I pray You forgive me. I ask You to help me prepare my mind to think about sin the way You think about sin. I pray that I spend time in Your Word, so I can think Your thoughts. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

"The Sound of Music" is a classic movie, set in Austria, based on a true story about a family of singers, the Von Trapps, and their escape from Nazi occupation during World War II. I grew up watching that movie as a child. In the movie, Rogers and Hammerstein wrote a short lullaby song entitled “Edelweiss,” which is a song about a flower. The word “edelweiss” means “noble white” in German. In the movie, this song would remind Captain Baron Von Trapp of his beloved Austria. Here are the lyrics:
 
Edelweiss, edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
 
Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever
 
This flower is native to Austria, but it's also native to Switzerland and different white cap mountains in that area. It's a beautiful white flower that is so pristine, so pure, and so white that it blends in with the snow on top of the mountain, but you've got to go up there to get the flowers. It's so beautiful, so white, that if you pluck that flower and put it into a book to press and hold onto for years and years and years, you'll open it and the whiteness of that flower will remain white and pure.
 
The Nazi occupation began to take over Austria, and here was this Austrian military leader who was then told, "You're going to have to fight for the Nazis." He had fought for his homeland, but he refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II.
 
In the movie, the Von Trapp family singers, sing this final song about this flower, and Captain Von Trapp said that he wanted the audience to remember their homeland forever. It was a song that was intentionally designed to say that the whiteness of the flower should remind you of your homeland.
 
But it also had a double meaning that the whiteness of this flower, which blends into the snow, is so beautiful, so white, so pure, that it can grow in the harshest of winters. It's a year-round flower. No matter what kind of winter you're in, the flower will grow. His intended message in singing this song about a flower was that you can remain Austrian even in the midst of Nazi oppression. His statement in that one song was to say, "Remain loyal to Austria." It was a hidden song intentionally designed to remind them of their real homeland.
 
As Christians living in this world, we should think of ourselves as that pure, white flower, also able to grow in the harshest of winters. Just as that pure white flower blends in with the white snow above, so too, we blend into the whiteness of God Himself above us. Additionally, if that flower is plucked and brought down to mud, rock and grass – it will stand out. You can press that flower into the pages of a book and even after years pass, its whiteness is still radiant. Just as the pure whiteness of that flower stands in contrast to the darkness surrounding it, so too, our purity and holiness should stand out in contrast to the dark world around us. You're still white, pure, and pristine.
 
1 Peter 1:15–16 (NKJV) – “15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
 
You and I are to be holy as God is holy. You and I should never be surprised when we have different desires, tastes, ideas, and philosophies that go in the opposite direction of the world around us. Remember, your citizenship is in heaven. You are a Christian who lives in America. You're not an American who's also a Christian. You're a Christian first. Your allegiance is to the Lord Jesus Christ, and secondarily to whatever culture you're living in.
 
Peter was trying to remind those first century believers, "You're in a Roman colony. That Roman colony is in the midst of Asia Minor and it has its values, it has its ideas and its ideals, but yet you are a Christian who's living in that Roman colony. Today, we are the church. We are believers. We are Christ-followers in the midst of a civilization that is growing more and more hostile to our Christian conviction.”
 
“Dear God, I pray that I would allow Your Holy Spirit to lead me to reflect Jesus in a greater way. I pray that I would live a holy life in this world. I pray that I would remain faithful to You, no matter where I live, work or play. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

1 Peter 1:9-12 reads, “10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”
 
No matter what your trial is, it's temporary. Even if you've been dealing with it your whole life, in the grand scheme of eternity, it's just a fleeting moment. I'm not belittling your struggles; they are real. But when you zoom out and see eternity which lies before you, you realize that a thousand years from now, you'll be worshiping around the throne of heaven, and this momentary affliction will be seen as just a blip in the panorama of history. Look at all that God has blessed you with. He has secured your salvation. Realize that no matter what trial you're facing right now, look up and see the eternal salvation that is anchored in Jesus Christ. He's not just meeting your temporary needs; He's securing your eternal destiny.
 
Peter says we have the promised presence of the Spirit in verse 11. The same Spirit who was active in the prophets, and active in the ministry of Jesus is the same Spirit who will aid the believer in the midst of trials. Notice the activity of the Spirit in these verses:
 

• Romans 8:9 says, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
• Galatians 4:6 says, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”
• Acts 16:7 says, “After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.”
• Philippians 1:19 says, “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”  

 
Peter says part of our strength comes from knowing we have this same Holy Spirit in us.
 
Peter also says we have the promised privilege of our salvation in verses 10-12. Notice these verses which speak of a future promised salvation:
 

• Luke 10:23–24, “23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.’”
• Matthew 13:16–17, “16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;  17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
• Matthew 11:11, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

 
Peter makes a powerful statement in verse 8: "Though you have not seen Jesus, you love him." Peter was writing to people who, like us, had never seen Jesus in the flesh. But even though they hadn't seen Him, they loved Him. Jesus said something similar to Thomas in John 20:29 when Thomas doubted His resurrection. Jesus told him, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." That's us—believers living in the present age. We haven't seen Jesus face to face, but we love Him nonetheless. How is that possible? Because though we can't see Him, we know Him, and we trust Him. We love Him because of who He is and what He has done for us.
 
The days we're living in now—the days when we don't see Jesus face to face but trust Him—are greater than the days when He walked the earth. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 11:11, "He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist." We may not see Jesus with our physical eyes, but we see Him with the eyes of faith. Just as a parent loves and longs for their unborn child, we love and long for Jesus, even though we haven't seen Him. And we can rejoice because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our trials. He's using our struggles to develop our character, to demonstrate our faith to a watching world, and ultimately, to bring glory to Himself.
 
Consider the stories of Joni Erickson Tada, Luther Bridgers, and Fanny Crosby. Notice how each one looked at their suffering from an eternal perspective.
 
Joni Erickson Tada, a quadriplegic, who is paralyzed from the chest down, writes about suffering from a Christian perspective. She regularly displays joy in the midst of suffering. She looks forward to heaven. She once told Larry King that she would like to tell Jesus in heaven about the wheelchair that she has been bound in. "The weaker I was in [that wheelchair], the harder I leaned on You. The harder I leaned on You, the stronger I discovered You to be. Thank You."
 
Fanny Crosby, the writer of thousands of hymns including "Blessed Assurance", who understood that a faulty medical practice had blinded her as a baby, made this statement as an adult: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." Her perspective allowed her to write so many songs to God in gratitude.
 
Luther Bridgers composed a hymn soon after hearing of the death of his wife and three children in a fire. It is said that Luther Bridgers had left his children and wife in the care of his father-in-law while he was away ministering the gospel at a conference in Kentucky. It was while he was there that he received a phone call telling him of the demise of his wife and all his three children in a fire that burnt down his father-in-law's house. With tears in his eyes, he expressed his faith in the Lord by penning the words of this hymn: 
 
There’s within my heart a melody,
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still
Through all of life’s ebb and flow.
 Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest Name I know,
Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
 
The Lord kept each one focusing on how He was at work, using the trial for their good and His ultimate glory. So, no matter what you're going through, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Remember that your trial is temporary, but your salvation is eternal.
 
"Father, I pray when I am experiencing the trials of life that I will remember the testimonies of godly saints who have suffered well. May their stories encourage me. I pray that I remember that I have Your Holy Spirit within me. No matter how difficult today is, I rejoice in a future salvation promised in heaven with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
 
 
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, pray something like this: “Dear God, I know that I’m a sinner, but You love me. You sent Jesus to pay for my sins on the cross so that I could be called one of Your children. I ask You now to come into my heart and life. I call You my Lord and my Savior. May I never be ashamed of You. I love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
 
If you prayed that prayer, please go to http://www.joshfranklin.org/books.html and freely download the ebook “Starting Strong,” and email [email protected] to let me know. I want to pray for you and provide resources that will help you in your walk with God. God bless.