Top X July 19, 2025 Devotional
July 19, 2025
1 PETER 2:1 | 1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice...
Christian maturity and genuine love, requires renunciation. The older baptismal rites all began with questions about the candidates willingness to put aside practices and attitudes which hinder life with God: “do you renounce Satan and his evil ways?” We have to say no to certain bad things in order to say yes to love and goodness. The verb for “rid” here, means to strip off, as in taking off clothes and putting them away.
The word translated malice here is the Greek word “kakia.” It includes all bad behavior and its root is ill will toward others. We have the modern term anti-social, to describe a similar category of attitudes and acts that harm relationships and undermine communities.
What attitudes and behaviors do you need to renounce to make room for love?
Gracious God,
Remove from my heart, my thoughts, and my unconscious mind all evil and negative attitudes that inhibit love and poison relationships.
Amen.
