Permanent is not a word that describes our time on this earth. We are often reminded in Scripture that we are here for a temporary stay. Here’s how the apostle Peter says it.

1 Peter 1:17
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile….

Three “take-aways” from today’s passage:

1. God is the Judge. Jesus tells us that every man will give an account before God (Matthew 12:36). Paul says that “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12) and that believers will stand before the “judgment seat of Christ” to receive what is due us (2 Cor. 5:10). The writer of the Hebrews reminds us that “everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13 NIV). Peter reminds us in today’s passage that God judges all our deeds.
2. We are to live in reverence before God. God calls us to an intimate relationship and appropriate dread of sinning against him, the Holy God.
3. We are to live as “exiles.” The NIV says that we are to live as foreigners in the world. I love the way J.N.D. Kelly translates this verse in his commentary on 1 Peter:

And since you invoke as Father One who judges impartially in the light of what each has done, conduct yourselves with fear for the duration of your temporary stay.

We can never forget this truth. Our stay is temporary, and every day is one day closer to when it’s time to pack up and head home.

Father, may the understanding that our stay on this earth is temporary motivate us to live in consistent obedience. Help us live with the end in mind. One day we will stand before you, the final Judge. In Jesus’ name. Amen.