Put It Away

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1 Peter 2:1-3)
 
When babies are hungry, everyone around knows it! They will do everything they can to get what their bodies need.
 
This is the pattern Peter says we should follow.
 
Now, what will happen when we do?
 
Peter writes there are five things believers should “put away.”
 
Have You Put It Away?
 
So let’s check ourselves today in each of these activities.
 
#1. Malice is “the intention or desire to do evil.”
 
Do you desire to cause hurt or pain to someone else? Are you holding on to hatred or unforgiveness? Are you making plans to get revenge or attack another person?
 
Malice has no place in our pursuit of the ‘pure spiritual milk.’
 
#2. Deceit is “the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.”
 
Do you have a habit of lying, secrecy, or hiding sinful behaviors? Do you lie at work, in your marriage, or in your small groups?
 
Deceit is a cancer that rots away your spiritual and emotional bones.
 
#3. Hypocrisy is “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform.
 
Is your public life the same as your private life? What moral standards do you really live by—rather merely profess?
 
The word hypocrite comes from the Greek, hypokrites, meaning an actor. These actors wore masks to play their roles. Are you hiding behind a mask while leading a different life?
 
#4. Envy is “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.”
 
Do you look at other peoples’ possessions, wishing deeply that they were yours? Are your thoughts marked by lust for someone else’s spouse? Do you burn with envy rather than shine with contentment?
 
Envy, also known as covetousness in the tenth commandment (Ex. 20:17), drives us to value possessions over people.
 
#5. Slander is “making false and damaging statements about someone.”
 
Do you lie about people to make yourself look good? Do you embellish stories about them behind their back? Are you wounding their reputation for personal gain?
 
Slander can destroy someone’s life. It has no place in the mouth of a Christian. We are to be speakers of life.
 
If you’re engaged in any of these five actions, take this wonderful opportunity to put them a way today!
 
Is the Lord so good that your pursuit of him resembles a baby desperate for milk?
 
This devotion blessed me so much. I pray you are challenged to take the time to pause and ask yourself, am I engaged in any of these five actions. If the answer is yes, as todays devotion says, “take this wonderful opportunity to put them a way today”!
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!