1 Peter 2:11

"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul" 1 Peter 2:11

Beloved = Christian
Sojourner = to stay as a temporary resident
Pilgrim = one who journeys in foreign lands

Peter uses verses 11 and 12 to introduce the idea of being set apart so that those that don't know Christ may see him through our actions. This theme will continue through chapter 4.

It is important to note that Peter address this command to Christians and he refers to his readers as sojourners and pilgrims. Both of these terms set up the fact that we in a temporary home. Our true home is in heaven, we are only temporary residents here on Earth. But our job is no less important than that of a pilgrim - we have been given a very specific task to accomplish - show others Christ.

In the next posts, we will discover several ways to do this - but the first way Peter gives us, is to abstain from fleshy lust that war against our soul. A fleshly lust is any desire that is against God's Word. God calls us to be Holy because He is holy but He also acknowledges that it is extremely hard battle referring to it as a war. What I know is this - all things are possible through Him who gives me strength. We are in the battle - but it is not ours to fight. When we give up and let God do the fighting, we can abstain from evil desires. And because we can't do it on our own - God gets the glory and shows off His power in our lives.

I am very thankful that we serve such a big God.