14. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

15. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.

16. Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

 

 

Holiness must be looked upon in two ways. It is a fact that we have been set apart for Him in Christ. We have been forgiven of all our sin. As such holiness is a positional state making us acceptable to the Father based on our trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins and now we are the ones in whom God's Spirit lives. Such holiness is bestowed on us at conversion.

     

It is also true that sin still shows its ugly face in Christians. A holy life is different than a life given over to our desires and wants. Jesus became fully human in terms we can understand. Don't be conformed to a former lifestyle that does not fit the Christian lifestyle as followers of Jesus. Peter tells us not to fashion ourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. Self-gratification is the great problem of the Christian lifestyle today. The call for His children is to resemblance the Father. Peter is contrasting the children of disobedience, with the children of God. If we do not have any desire to walk in holiness, then this is clearly evidence that we do not belong to the Lord. 

 

Jesus sought to do the will of the Father and was completely possessed by God. He not only wants us to do the things He did, but have the relationship with His Father that is possible for us to have. Even in our work and daily responsibilities we need an attitude of awe and respect toward God. This comes from sense of knowing who we are and who God is. I do get bothered when people treat the Lord as a chummy buddy but nor is God aloof and unattached. Peter recognized that reverence needed to have a proper relationship with the God of glory and God of holiness.

   

To be holy with our work is more than how we act in just our job, it is in all our responsibilities. When I think of my role as a father and my position as a son to my parents there was love, but respect was important. We were not equals. Many times, my children obey, not because they want to, but because of the consequence that falls upon them when they disobey. Being a father means seeking to be a loving disciplinarian.

   

I remember my dad more than once judging me guilty when I was disrespectful. I experienced the consequences of my actions. Although I resented that, I was more surprised by how some of my friends spoke to their parents with rudeness and disrespect. People who do not learn to respect authority always have problems. They have problems in the marriage not respecting their spouse. They have problems at work not respecting their employer or fellow employees. They have problems in the world not respecting teachers, law officers, or judges, and the consequences are many.

     

This is more so with my heavenly Father. He will not compromise with sin. He is merciful and forgiving, but He is also the loving disciplinarian who cannot permit His children to enjoy sin. After all, it was sin that sent His Son to the cross. If we call God our Father, then we should reflect His nature and give Him respect.

     

Peter stated that our works will be judged. Respect is more than what we say and how we respond to another. If my father gave me a task to do, it was also to be done in a way that demonstrated his desires not mine. Now that I am saved, the Lord gives me gifts to be used for Him in holiness and love. I will be judged for my works based on the responsibilities and gifts given to me. I will not be compared to others. I will not be held accountable for what someone else did or did not do.

    

We are to conduct ourselves as strangers in this life. So much of what this world thinks is important is not important to the Lord. What this world rewards in this world are not the rewards of the heavenly Father. What He rewards and deems important are the works that reflect His glory now and achieve for us a blessing when our tasks are viewed with the eyes of eternity. Being prepared is to live in the power, love, and obedience of God in the things we say and do.

     

Peter’s work changed when he saw who Jesus was. He even looked at fishing differently, but had a new calling to be a fisher of men. If at the end of his life all he had to show the Lord was a pile of fish, he missed out on so much more, but while a fisherman he had a far greater task - to point people to the living God.