³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 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; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a]

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hopeare in God.

²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.^[b]23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

And this is the word that was preached to you.  (end)

Friends… one of the ‘ways’ I make sure that I routinely pray..as to type and form of prayer…is to pray God’s ‘word’ back-to Him.  Meaning…obviously God’s word is His perfect will…and so we should make it our practice to including praying within the context of His revealed will…praying and petitioning within His stated desire and will for us in all things.  That said… this morning I pray:

Father..I pray that we, through time spent with you in prayer and through the inspiration and spiritual nourishment that comes from time in your ‘word’..that we will be increasingly alert as to the evil desires that exist out there in this temporary world system that seek to distract us from your way and will….and that you give us strength and power to ‘holy’ in our minds and hearts because this is what you ask us to do.  Help us to more deeply value the precious gift of eternal life that is provided us through the precious blood of Jesus.   And Father I pray that we will work at loving everyone around at a deeper level…help us be better lovers of others.  And lastly this morning Father…help us to realize that we have been born anew through the work of Your Spirit into a new creation..and that such life is kept safe and protected by your power and that this new eternal life inside us is born out of the imperishable seed of the Spirit.  All of this is so precious and so amazing.   Thank you, thank you.