4-17-26 Weekly Devotional – Are You Taking It Seriously?
“Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance (1 Peter 1:13-14).”
“Gird up your loins” is a figure of speech found in the Bible several times. The phrase we use today is: Roll up your sleeves. It means “Get serious about what you’re doing.” We need to get serious about being a Christian and living for God. One aspect of that is to have “a single mind.” God values singlemindedness when you are single-minded about Him. You need a laser-like focus in your desire to live for Him—to have your life bring Him glory. You have heard people say, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” But I believe Peter would tell us to do just that. He would label that basket, “Jesus is coming back!” We need to be single-minded, living with a passionate, burning focus upon His return.
What are you doing today in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? Are you living with the understanding that Christ could return at any moment? Adrian Rogers
I like to add this to Adrian Rogers post:
The girding up of the mind is an interesting figure of speech. In eastern lands, people wore long, flowing robes. So, when they wanted to walk fast or with a minimum of hindrance, they would tie the robe up around their waist with a belt (see Ex. 12:11). In this way they girded up their loins. But what does Peter mean by “gird up the loins of your mind?” Probably, as they went out into a hostile world, believers were to avoid panic and distraction. In times of persecution, there is always the tendency to become rattled and confused. The girded mind is one that is strong, composed, cool, and ready for action. It is unimpeded by the distraction of human fear or persecution.
Peter also asks us to be “be sober.” This means self-control in contrast to hysteria. The “sober” spirit is poised and stable. Next, the saints are urged to have the optimistic, forward-looking mind: “Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The assurance of Christ’s return is held out as the compelling motive for endurance through the storms and tribulations of life. “The revelation of Jesus Christ” is generally taken to refer to His coming back to earth where He will be revealed in glory. However, it could also refer to the Rapture when Christ will come for His saints.
Peter goes on to say that as obedient children we should not indulge in the sins which characterized us in our former life. Now that we are born again from above, we should pattern our life after the One whose name we bear. If we conform to the ungodly world, we are denying our heavenly character. The things that we did in the days of our ignorance should be put away now that we have been illuminated by the Holy Spirit. “The former lusts” means the sins we indulged in while we were still ignorant of God.
Peter closes this message off with, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” We can take that to mean that instead of imitating the ungodly world with its fads and fashions, our lives should reproduce the holy character of the One who called us to be more Godlike. God is holy in all His ways. If we are to be like Him, we must be holy in all that we do and say. In this life we will never be as holy as He is, but we should be holy because He is. Also, we should remember that God has given us help in this respect that as born-again believers we are empowered to live holy lives by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Oscar Leske
Thankyou Adrian Rogers and Oscar Leske