1 Peter 2:24-25

1 Peter 2:24-25

He carried our sin in His body upon the wood in order that while dying to sin we should live for righteousness.  By His wounds you all were being healed.  For you all were like sheep while being led astray, but now after being turned you are all upon the shepherd and caretaker of your souls.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

He bore our sin within Him while He hung on the cross.  It is a gruesome story that He endured for our sake.  So why on earth did He do it?  He did it so that we should live for righteousness.  Jesus died because He knew that only in His death would we actually have a chance at righteousness.  This is the epitome of self-sacrifice.  Jesus had it all.  He was God!  He doesn’t get any better than He already is.  Yet even though He can’t get any better than He already is, He took it upon Himself to open up the door for our salvation.  That is God.

Does the thought of God taking the issue of salvation upon Himself inspire you at all?  In what ways?  How are you inspired?

Second Thought:

Peter gives us a great analogy to human will.  We are like sheep being led astray.  We have such little will power in reality.  We want something, so we get it.  We have a desire until it consumes us.  We think of ourselves first.  We are indeed sheep, led astray by our flesh and the flesh of the people around us.

Where is your human nature evident in your thoughts, words, and actions?  How can you express you need for salvation in terms of your human nature that is so easily led astray?

Third Thought:

Thanks be to God that we are not stuck in that state forever!  We can turn from our nature and find ourselves in the shepherd’s arms.  Look at the two words that Peter uses in the last verse of this chapter: shepherd and caretaker.  What is a shepherd?  A shepherd is a person who guides you to where you need to be and corrects you if you get out of line.  What is a caretaker?  A caretaker is a person who sees your needs and in compassion helps you receive what you need.  So while we were straying away from God, He was busy setting up a place where we can find guidance and love.  That’s self-sacrifice for an undeserving population.

How has God been your shepherd?  How has God been your caretaker?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Peter 3:1-6