1 Peter 2 Oct 22, 2025

1 Peter 2: 1-3 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

     “If you have tasted of the kindness of the Lord”. That is always the first question is it not? Have we tasted of the Lord, and if we have, what will be our next step? After being introduced to this great salvation in Jesus, there are decisions to make. Does the “taste” of His mercy and grace make us hungry for more(a lot more), or do I treat it as an appetizer that can be thrown in with the rest of my diet? If you are serious enough in your relationship with Jesus to be spending time reading this then I believe you have a heart to continually grow as a Christian.

       With that in mind, back up with me and look at the first verse “rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander”. Did you catch those first two words: RID YOURSELVES? When I got saved people told me that all my evil desires would just go away. Imagine my disappointment when I found myself still tempted by so many things. It was only after I found scriptures like this that I realized that I had to cooperate with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit within me if I was going to walk out my salvation in a way that blessed my Father, family, friends, and could even be light to a dark world. Once I realized my own “hard-headed will” had to agree with the Word then I had a chance. One of the great gifts of my salvation was the right to decide everyday to get rid of any malice (doing harm to another physically, mentally, or spiritually). I had to rid myself of thoughts to deceive (tricking people into what I wanted). I had to follow through on decisions to not be a hypocrite(saying one thing and doing another). And my inclination to envy had to be kicked to the side of the road every time it tried to speak.

       It was no secret the answer to successfully saying no to the flesh and being more consistent walking out my salvation was in verse two: “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation”. I pray for each of us today and everyday we will “renew our minds with the Word” and “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”. We will always be our Father’s children, but let’s make sure we grow up in Him and make Him proud.

Thoughts from Pastor Steve