Faithful Exiles: Living in Reverent Fear

1 Peter 1:17–19 calls us to live with a holy, life-shaping fear as God’s children. This isn’t terror, but reverent awe—a fear that keeps us mindful of God’s holiness, our accountability to Him, and the danger of taking His grace lightly. Because God judges impartially, we’re urged to conduct ourselves with this holy fear during our “exile” on earth.

The passage also warns us not to waste our lives on futile pursuits. Like Sisyphus endlessly pushing his boulder, chasing worldly pleasure, comfort, or status leads only to emptiness. But God has ransomed us from such futility—not with perishable wealth, but with the precious blood of Christ, the spotless Lamb. Grasping the worth of that sacrifice changes everything. It calls us to live lives worthy of the price paid for us, seeking Christ above all and finding in obedience not burden, but joy.