Friday, August 19, 2011

Gird up the loins of your mind

Girding up our minds, and two other things to do.

See 1st Peter 1:13 

1Pet 1:13 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;

In light of the Word of God, and the truth of Jesus Christ that has been brought to you says Peter, here's what to do. 

( by the way, the normal sequence of things in the Bible, seems to be, that first of all, God tells us what He has done for us, given to us, or will do for us, and then calls us to do something. First we receive what He has done, and then we can and ought to respond to what He is calling us to do. Such is the case here )

1. Gird up the loins of your mind. 
2. Be sober.
3. And rest your hope fully upon the grace that's coming.

What do these things mean? 

First of all, to gird up the loins of your mind, means, to be prepared. Taken from a custom of that day, to be able to be unimpeded in their movements, they were accustomed, when starting a journey or engaging in any work, to bind their long flowing garments closely around their bodies and fastened with a leather belt. 
So, the idea for us, is simply, that of being prepared as we follow Jesus.

Secondly, "Be sober" or Watch, be calm, and be collected in spirit. Be temperate in what you do. Be circumspect, ( or keep your guard, observe )
Don't be intoxicated by the world, and the things of the world. Keep a sober head and heart.

Thirdly, "rest your hope fully the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"  God has been gracious to you, and He is being gracious to you right now, but He is going to be gracious to you in the days ahead, at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What a moment that will be. 

We see Him through a glass darkly now, but then face to face, and we will know, even as we are known. We are going receive more grace, and will have that grace revealed to us, for all of eternity, ( of which there is no end. It will be a revelation of grace forever )
So, the idea here, is just rest in hope. And hope is a good resting place as we travel along this path to heaven. We can rest even while we walk and run. While we work, and battle. We can rest in hope. 

Thank You Father for these things given so clearly to us in Your Word. 

Application/Promises
1. God's Word is our roadmap for life
2. God's Word explains how to live and walk.
3. God's Word is full of comfort and hope.
4. God calls us to hear and do His Word.
5. Let's try and do these 3 things today.