Why Stop Sinning?

Peter was a very practical person. His writings of 1st and 2nd Peter bear this out. They are filled with advice for workers and taxpayers and those who undergo the everyday stress of life.

Read through the first 3 chapters of Peter and you get the idea that Peter wants us to live a life that reflects the character of God in a world that reflects none of it, even if that means suffering unjustly.

Then in chapter 4 he takes an interesting direction. He says "Since, therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God."

I think we take our character way too lightly. We think that since we have been forgiven we can basically do anything we want. We don't realize that our flesh continually wars against us, trying to get us to give in to its desires. Reflecting God's character is a way for us to shine the light of God's forgiveness to a dying world. Can you do this on your own? Of course not. You need the power of God's Spirit in you to change you.

But what I really wanted to point out was a "why" that we should focus on a godly character. Look at verse 7:

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers."

Isn't that interesting? It seems that the more we pay attention to living life in the Spirit and not the flesh, paying attention to our character, it affects what we pray and how we pray and even the effectiveness of our prayers.

Do you want to make a difference in this world for Jesus? Focus on your life, and Peter has some great ways of doing that, so that you will know how to pray and that your prayers will be just that more effective.

Pastor Tom