As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. 1 Peter 1:14
There was not much the two homeless boys would not do as they struggled to survive in the little town where they had been left as orphans when disease claimed both their parents. Living in a little camp in the woods, they did odd jobs when people would hire them, and they stole whenever they could to obtain food and clothing. One of their favourite targets was the prosperous farmer who lived on the edge of town. Dirty, unruly, and untrustworthy, the two boys were approaching their teen years with little prospects of being anything better than public nuisances. But one night, they entered one of the rich farmer’s sheds to steal whatever they could, and the farmer caught them in the act. Instead of contacting the police, the farmer sat down for a long talk with the boys, and offered them a life on his farm, as his adopted sons. Shocked and touched by his offer, the boys agreed. Their lives were transformed dramatically, as the farmer provided them with a good home, good clothing, schooling, and affection. They in response worked hard on his farm, did well in their schooling, and became fine, upstanding members of their community. Neighbours and others in the town warned the farmer that the boys would be nothing but trouble. But the boys proved them wrong, totally abandoning their lawless ways and becoming obedient children of whom the farmer could be proud. That’s what our Father in Heaven desires of those whom He has saved from their sins and rescued from their sinful ways.
God has a name – children of disobedience – and identifies a destiny – wrath – for those who remain outside of a relationship with Himself: ‘Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience’ (Ephesians 5:6). In our unconverted days, we did not know and did not care anything about obedience to God. That changed when we trusted Christ, when the Holy Spirit came to dwell with us. We received not only the power to obey but the desire to obey our Lord. When our text speaks of not fashioning ourselves according to the former lusts, it simply refers to abandoning those disobedient habits and practices of our former life. How are we doing with that? The flesh is weak when it comes to resisting those former lusts. The devil is deeply interested in having us return to those days of disobedience, because destroying our testimony for God will deprive God of the glory He should receive from our obedience.
Before we were saved, we were disobedient in ignorance. But now we know better. – Jim MacIntosh