But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.
Summary: Peter reminds us to invite Jesus into the center of our being. When your life is built around the God of the Universe, there isn’t anything that can scare you.
Yesterday we looked at Peter’s instruction to not fear the threats of others and to not be frightened. We looked at the power of the human imagination to concoct frightening situations and turned it toward the light. Instead of imagining what horrible things could happen, we can imagine ways God can turn the situation to good. (Romans 8:28 comes to mind.) Today, we look at Peter’s answer to the problem of being frightened. Instead of being frightened or fearing threats, “revere Christ as Lord.”
What does that mean and how do we do it?
The Great Commandment is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22: 37b) We know that Jesus and God are one in the same person. (John 10: 30) So to “revere Christ as Lord” includes revering all the power and majesty of God.
To “revere” the Lord means to fear the Lord. The word that Peter used in the Greek is the same Greek word used in Luke 11:2 when Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. It is the word translated as “hallowed.”
We know what it is like to make our home ready for company to come. The more important the event, the more work we put into getting everything ready. Now imagine preparing your mind for a visit from God. What would you do?
Cleaning the house is one thing. Cleaning our minds is another. All the fears can go. (The bad kind, not the good kind like ‘fear of the Lord.’) All impure thoughts can be scrubbed. The windows of our mind can be cleaned just like the windows of our house. The dirt and detritus of everyday living can be vacuumed up. Getting the mind ready for a visit from God is a big job!
Fortunately, Jesus comes to us where we are. But once he is in, once we have invited the Lord of the Universe into our hearts, he wants us to prepare our minds to receive him as well.
You and I both know that the line between the human heart and our mind is a fuzzy one. Both are closely linked. The way that the word “heart” is used in the Greek is to mean the center of everything. Whatever you think of as your core, your innermost being, that is what Peter means by heart. It is there, in the very center of who you are, that Peter wants you to consecrate, or set aside a place for God. It is there that he wants you to “clean house” for Jesus.
If you will put God in the center of your being, there is nothing that can harm you. Yes, people get hurt and bad things happen as they did to Stephen. But this physical existence is nothing to the one who knows God. As James tells us, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14b) Our inner being, however, is eternal. Jesus, in telling a parable about heaven and hell concludes, “Then they [the unrighteous] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25: 46)
Application: Look into the center of your being. What is there? If it is not God, you know what you have to do.
Food for Thought: What are some of the advantages of having the Lord of all Creation in your heart?
You already said that there is nothing we cant do
Tim,
Unlimited wonderful opportunities is a pretty nice “plus!”
Thank you for the devotion brother. I like how you brought out the meaning and application of “our hearts” and the Lord being “revered“ and how that ties together.
There are many advantages to the Lord being at the center of our lives. I think the greatest blessing is knowing Him in a personal relationship.
Thank you, Rich! 🙂
You make a great point. It is one thing to “know” our God with our minds. It is another to “know” Him in our heart. It is like the difference between knowing about a famous person and then meeting them in person.
I think there’s an inner peace when God is in our hearts.
So true!!
What are some of the advantages of having the Lord of all Creation in your heart?
Psalm 103:3-19, 1 Corinthians 12-14
By the blood of Jesus we have been set free from the power, relieved of the burden of sin and made clean, new creatures capable of serving God. We are no longer slaves to this world and it’s ever changing standards, but serve our righteous God who never changes.
We are now called to live in the Holy Spirit serving our Sovereign God. The benefits of living this new life for God are priceless and freely given to all believers. Holy in the sight of God, inner peace in all circumstances, freedom to do as we choose which is to serve God, true unconditional love, clarity of thought, living for others rather than self, seeing God in all things, an intense hatred for sin and the power to turn from it. We have been blessed, called from the world of chaos and havoc and remain on this world a brief time to be lights of righteousness in the darkness.
God’s will in each is achieved as we become weak allowing Him to be strong in our lives. By doing this one thing, we receive the most precious gift of all, a true relationship with our Holy and Loving God.
Ron,
That is an excellent list of benefits! I especially liked:
* Inner Peace
* Clarity of Thought
* The power to turn from sin
Thank you!
With Christ in my heart an advantage for me would be having love for God and for others,..
Because He is here in my heart,.. I have the ability to tap into His awesome power by and through His name alone,..
My prayers are known,.. how cool is that though? He knows what I am going to say before I say it,..or even think of it,..
I am because He is,..He lives so that I can,..