Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Peter 2:11 (American Standard Version)

Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

It is easy to focus on the second part of the above verse—abstain from those things that are tugging at us from the flesh. Some of those things war against our souls, i.e., they hurt us. They may be fun—eating ice cream for breakfast everyday is fun—but they hurt us.

Consider the first part of the verse: we are pilgrims on a journey that is taking us through this current life and situation. The writer tells us to continue our journey as pilgrims. Keep going, don’t stop for long and tarry. There are things about us that may tug at us and cause us to pause too long.

My life is blessed. It is pretty good, folks. I like it here. Some days I like it here a bit too much.

I am a pilgrim, not a resident. Continue on the journey. Please God, help my feet to keep moving.