Gird Up Your Mind!

Scripture: 

1Pet. 1:13   Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. ¹⁴ Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵ Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Observation:

Peter now moves into a section on holiness. First of all, he tells them to prepare their minds, but the phrase used here in the Greek is to “gird your loins.” We might translate it, “roll up your sleeves.” What it meant in their culture was to pick up the front of your robe and tuck it in at the waist so that you could get ready to run. In other words, this conversation on holiness is really important so, get your mind in gear and let’s get ready for what’s ahead!

Gird up your mind, and be ready to practice self-discipline. This is a part of the Christian life, but it is the gift of wholehearted hope that comes through Jesus Christ. It is exactly the kind of hope that we need in our world today. But again, there is action required by the believer. Lives are transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ, and therefore the world no longer molds us into an image created by humankind, but we are molded into the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is an invitation into a holy life that affects every part of our lives, both attitude and action (Powers, NBBC) This reflected image is holy and results in a lifestyle that reflects the holiness of God. 

Application:

How seriously do we take this call to holiness? If we are to listen carefully to the call from Peter, this call to holiness is to consume our lives 24/7. That’s why we are to gird up our minds. While this is an old saying, it speaks to the seriousness of the call to holy living. 

Real transformation is possible in this life, and we are not expected to continue living in conformity to the world. The world has become its own god, setting its own rules and boundaries, often without any action or discipline. Far too often the idea of self-discipline is embraced if it is about enhancing our own appearance, or making ourselves more physically fit. At the same time, the idea of some kind of moral discipline seems almost repugnant to a world that encourages everyone to set their own boundaries. This is because we have made gods of our bodies and believe that we can have full control over our own future. That idea is shattered in an instant when someone who’s been eating right and exercising becomes ill. Suddenly it doesn’t make sense and you want to reach out to someone who is much more powerful. This is humanity seeking God. 

God is always reaching out to us, waiting for us to turn in the Father’s direction. When we come home, we are wrapped in the Father’s robes, and upon accepting the hospitality of the Father, we must then be prepared to be an active part of the family. We gird up our minds! We begin to ask God to help us become participants in his work in this world, conforming to Christ. We become transformed because we are in Christ, and not in the things of this world. 

Girding our minds is something that we must discipline ourselves to do on a daily basis. Far too many Christians have fallen in their faith because they have not shown discipline. Just read the headlines and you will see how far the mighty have fallen. It’s not one giant leap, it’s a slippery slide when someone no longer thinks that they need to gird their mind. The one who girds their mind is focused on Jesus, and he becomes the goal for their life. They are not swayed by the trappings of power, fame or wealth. 

We are called to be God’s holy people. The first step in that direction is to gird up your mind. Roll up your sleeves. Let’s get ready to roll. This is a serious journey with Jesus. 

Prayer:

Lord, please help me, every day, to practice the discipline of the holy life, and in this way, may I learn more about you. Amen.