1 Peter 5:8 - Are You Watching For Snakes?

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

When I was 14 years old, my cousin, my uncle and I were fishing along the bank of a remote river in California. I was walking a bit up ahead of the others, and was having a great time hopping from rock to rock.

To the side of the trail, I saw a bundle of twigs on top of some rocks. It seemed out of place somehow, so I stopped to look. And – I almost didn’t see what it was! I had almost stepped on a baby snake sunning itself on a rock. It wasn’t moving, just laying there all twisted up.

I went back to find my uncle and told him that I had just found a baby snake. He teased me about being afraid of a baby, but came with me to see it. My cousin, Gary and I were ahead of him, but when my uncle saw the snake, he yelled for us to stop, then came up and pulled us backwards. Looking at me, he said, “I thought you said this was a baby snake.” (If my wits had been quicker, I would have said, “Well, it had a rattle.”) Apparently, what I thought was a baby turned out to be about 30 inches long rattlesnake!

Have you ever noticed that spiritual danger is quite often like that snake (or a lion, as Peter says). It can be right in front of us – with the power to cause us serious hurt – yet, because we do not see it, we are convinced there is no danger. It is in that ignorance we often inflict heavy, unnecessary pain on ourselves.

Think about this:  every day we are walking in the “wilderness” and we are about to step on “poisonous snakes” our eyes are untrained to see. There are so many things we need to be watchful for, and the world is trying to lull us into being complacent. But – that is how we get bitten!

In 1 Peter 1:13-21, Peter was writing to a group of Christians, who had suffered because of their relationship with Jesus Christ, and their suffering was soon to get more severe. He was basically saying, "You people need to prepare to be even more serious about your devotion to Jesus Christ."

He was warning them to not make money, physical pleasure, or things of this world the foundation of their sustaining hope, but instead to make the foundation of their hope the grace made available in Jesus Christ's resurrection.

Before we step on that poisonous snake — I think Peter's directive is very applicable to us. I believe Peter was saying, "It is time to be serious about your commitment to God. Remember who and what you were before, and who and what you are now as a Christian. You are no longer living a godless lifestyle of personal indulgence. Your new commitment is now to the holiness of God, the One who saves you through His Son. Your time as a physical creature is only for a short time — so do not let money, pleasure, popular ideas or lifestyles determine or define who you are. Only one thing should define who you are — God's grace – revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God can remake you and your life because of that grace.”

And, remember this:  your hope is not in yourself or anything you do! You cannot merit a relationship with God!

Ephesians 2:8-9:   8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Your hope is God's grace revealed in Jesus' resurrection!  Surely you obey responsibly — but your obedience is merely declaring your appreciation for God's grace!