1 Peter 1:14-21

¹⁴Don''t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn''t know any better then; you do now.m

¹⁵As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God''s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.n

¹⁶God said, "I am holy; you be holy."o

¹⁷You call out to God for help and he helps--he''s a good Father that way. But don''t forget, he''s also a responsible Father, and won''t let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.p

¹⁸It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in.q

¹⁹He paid with Christ''s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb.r

²⁰And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately--at the end of the ages--become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you.s

²¹It''s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.