1 Peter 2:19-25 (NRSV)
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Verse 19For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. Verse 20If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. Verse 21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. Verse 22"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." Verse 23When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. Verse 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. Verse 25For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Devotion
Sometimes we take it far too lightly. Sometimes we take it for granted. Sometimes we forget about it altogether. To what am I referring? The cost of our freedom. Peter tells us that Christ “bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.” Then Peter echoes the words of Isaiah 53 when he says, “By his wounds you have been healed.”
What an amazing gift we are given. The freedom to be released from the bondage of a sin-sick soul. The freedom to experience the fullness of life that God intends. The freedom to experience God’s joy and peace. This all came at a great cost. The horrific pain that Jesus endured paid the price for that freedom. May we live each day with a deep sense of gratitude for what Christ has done. We are healed. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Gracious God, you gave your son Jesus to pay the price for our sin. Thank you for that precious gift. May our lives reflect gratitude in all that we do and say, and may your light shine through us. Amen.