23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1: 23-25)
In times of unrest and uncertainty, we all need to find true inner peace. The Scripture chosen for today focuses on our new birth which took place when we first believed in Christ. This new birth brought forth our new life. Apostle Peter wanted to remind us that unrest and uncertainty comes from the old life and not from the new life. Our old life seeks for worldly glory and desires for transient pleasure. You and I must have seen a 30 second TV commercial that can sometimes effectively lure us to purchase their product. Think of it, just 30 seconds. The old life is so subjected to sensual stimulations and materialism. It is always by a gradual and sub-conscious process that our inner peace is gradually stolen away.
Apostle Peter reminds us not to use the wrong way to deal with the problem of our old life. We need to recall how we first became a Christian — it wasn't by any of our own effort that we were saved; it was purely by the hearing of the gospel, God's Word, that the Holy Spirit regenerated us. It was God who planted an "imperishable seed" in our lives that led to our spiritual regeneration and transformation. And our new life will last forever. This new life is not only eternal, it is also unchangeable. In other words, unlike the old life, this new life is unaltered by the circumstances surrounding us.
Apostle John explains clearly to us the uniqueness of this new life. "He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." (John 1: 11-13). We are all very familiar with our natural birth, commonly described as born of flesh and blood. However, in big contrast, we have not become God’s children by natural means. For the new birth, we were born by God the Father and it was out of His sovereign will that we were born. God’s word guarantees that His will and His act are eternal. In receiving His new life, we find a life with value that is unshakable.
In the Bible, we are not asked to trust ourselves but to put our trust in God. Jesus said: "If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15). When we realize the Source of our new life is the eternal God Himself, our hearts will be settled and calm; unrest and uncertainty will end. May we all find true inner peace!