WATCH THIS VIDEO FIRST, THEN READ THE DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT BELOW.
A Holy Life – 1 Peter 1:13-25
One time, my corps officer bought a caterpillar just so he could watch it turn into a butterfly. It was great. Every day at the office, we would check in to see the progress. We even held a little celebration when the caterpillar finally emerged as a beautiful monarch butterfly! Once the butterfly was ready, we gathered up the staff and released it into the wild, watching it majestically fly away!
But you know what that butterfly didn’t do? It didn’t turn back into a caterpillar.
Maybe you already see the connection here. Before we come to know Christ, we are like caterpillars. We are in our state of sin, but it’s not where we are meant to be! Caterpillars don’t stay caterpillars; they become butterflies! We are not meant to remain in sin, but instead are called to live holy lives, filled with the Holy Spirit. So just as the caterpillar must literally disintegrate into nothing before it can change into a butterfly, we must let go of ALL sin until there is nothing left, so God can transform us into the righteous, holy people he has called us to be. And once He has done that, we can spread our wings and fly!
The righteous, holy lives God gives us through the salvation we find in Jesus Christ and the transformation of the Holy Spirit are the very best thing for us. They give us freedom to be fully ourselves, to fully reflect Christ in our live, and to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control. To not pursue this kind of life would be like a newly transformed butterfly refusing to spread its wings and fly.
But some of us take it even further. Not only do we refuse to spread our wings and live out the holy lives that God has called us to, but we also try to go back to where we came from. Instead of living as butterflies, we continually try to get back to being caterpillars. But that’s not how it works!!! Butterflies do not turn back into caterpillars and we should not go back to our sinful lives.
In 1 Peter 1:13-25, Peter is reminding us of the lives that God has called us to. Verse 14 says, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” Don’t try to go back to your caterpillar state! And verses 15-16 say, “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.”” We are spreading our wings and flying as butterflies, because that’s who God has called us to be!
Not only that, but the life that God has called us to is one that endures and lasts. Verse 23 says, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” Holy lives are not a fad or a trend. They aren’t something that will make you regret your life decisions later. Holy lives are steadfast and enduring. They are marked by the love of God and the love of others. They will not fail you or let you down.
So why are you still trying to go back to being a caterpillar? We are butterfly people! Be transformed. Be renewed. Then spread your wings and fly, living a holy life, wholly devoted to God and his purposes.
Time to Reflect:
Have you been transformed by the love of God? How do you know?
If you were to live a holy life, what would look different in your life?
How can your holy life impact others?