1 Peter 1:13—Stances of the heart
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13
Therefore…
When you see the word therefore in the Bible, you need to learn what it’s there for. Numerous Bible teachers recommend doing this—and it’s a great help. Therefore is a clue that what you are about to read is strongly connected to what you’ve just read. Having that little tool in your Bible-reading belt will open up all kinds of insight as you study the Word.
Therefore, since prophets carefully searched and inquired into the rumblings of the Spirit concerning the salvation to come; therefore, since angels yearned to peer into the coming grace that would be extended to the human race; therefore, since now, for a little while the believers experienced distressing tests despite their glorious inheritance in Christ, Peter listed three stances of the heart which would bolster them as they sought to live in a manner worthy of their calling.
1. Prepare your minds for action.
Peter wrote to believers in the first generation, A.D., to take charge over their minds. Twenty-one centuries later, this instruction is all the more relevant. This is what I mean:
You’ve just plopped down to read the Bible, and suddenly, everything that you usually never notice leaps out at you: a smudge on the refrigerator. Dust on the blinds. A piece of junk mail you haven’t looked at. A picture on the wall hanging a little crooked.
You settle down to pray, and like clockwork, random thoughts flood in: Is my hair appointment in four weeks or five? Why did Brother Whatsit look at me like that yesterday? Did I empty the dishwasher? What did Sister Whosit mean when she said that? Whatever happened to the guy who played Boom Boom Washington on “Welcome Back Kotter”? My yard could use some watering. Wonder if I have any notifications on Facebook? Wait a minute—I’m supposed to be praying! What time is it, anyway?
If you’re anything like me, more often than not you have to determine to set aside time for the Lord…and then you have to fight your wandering thoughts to stay on task! That’s why Peter admonished us, “Prepare your minds for action.” Ask the Lord for wisdom about your focus, and He’ll show you what will work for you and your unique set of distractions. Then it’s your job to follow through.
In fact, when you apply the anti-distraction strategies you receive from the Lord to your daily quiet times, you will begin to notice pay off in other areas of your life as well. Just like bringing the first fruits of all your income to the Lord causes you to experience blessing in your finances, (see Proverbs 3:9-10), giving the Lord your attention in prayer and the Word on a daily basis will cause wisdom and stability to grow and prosper in other areas. Because you have prepared your mind for action when you seek the Lord, discernment and clarity will begin to direct you in the rest of your life, as well.
2. Keep sober in spirit
I know a little bit about this stance; I used to avoid sobriety as much as I could before I was saved—and I would have paid a high price for it if Jesus hadn’t intervened quickly!
Sober people—as opposed to drunks—are typically alert and in control of themselves. A sober person will likely realize that his words and behaviors matter. A sober person will probably consider the consequences before he acts.
A believer who is sober in spirit—as opposed to one who lives frivolously and flippantly, placing little value on his relationship with Christ—will be alert to both those around him and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. A sober Christian will operate in the fruits of the Spirit, including the fruit of self-control. A sober Christian will use his words to bring help, health, and healing to those he encounters and will refrain from reckless boasts or judgments. A believer who is sober in spirit will avoid carelessly behaving like the world around him.
A believer who is sober is far less likely to stumble into the enemy’s snare.
3. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You have hopes, and if you’re like me, they come and go. But this third stance prescribed by Peter is that you keep your hope fixed—immovable—on the grace of God in Christ Jesus. You walk in that grace now; you anchor your hope upon receiving ever-increasing grace as you come to know Jesus more and more.
First John 3:3 declares, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” The hope birthed in your heart through faith in Christ is potent—this hope purifies you as you fix it resolutely upon Him.
Despite the difficulties, tests, and trials that tend to bombard believers, we share in an amazing inheritance through our faith in Jesus Christ—the very stuff into which prophets earnestly searched and angels longingly desired to look.
The battle for our attention and affections rages; yet our inheritance in Christ is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away (verse 4). And though our Savior be strong and our inheritance eternal, Peter’s admonishment stands firm—each one of us has a part to play while we remain on this earth:
Three stances—prepare your minds for action; keep sober in spirit; and fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You will never regret it.
Dorothy
Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Luke 12:35
© 2015, Dorothy Frick