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. 

Gladness and strength.....

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

Here are two things that we can be blessed with from the Lord, He is the giver of these two things, and He wants us to have them in our lives day by day. Gladness and strength.

1. Gladness. First of all, this is not because we have earned this, or that we are righteous by our good deeds, but rather, as God's people who have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ......Gladness what is it? It means to be of a merry heart. It speaks of a glad result, or a happy issue, to have joy, the joy of God in our lives. This is our hope. We can hope for, expect this joy in our lifetime here on earth, and then for eternity. Maybe you don't have joy at the moment. More about that in just a moment...

2. Strength. The word here means, fortress, a place of safety, protection, refuge, a harbor, a stronghold. We are told that strength is the way of the Lord. Or that in the way of the Lord, in our following Him, abiding in Him, etc, He will be our strength, He will give us strength, He will be that refuge and protection for our lives.

Back to gladness.....and for those who today, may have sadness instead. What can we say. The verse says the HOPE of the righteous is gladness.

As with many things in life, we must wait for them. That's exactly what hope means here. It means to wait, to expect, to tarry, to wait for, to hope for.

Waiting is Biblical. Many times God's people are encouraged to wait upon the Lord.

Here's just one example.........

Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Sometimes the Lord has us in a place of just waiting. We have God's promise in Isa 40:31, that renewed strength will come, mounting up with wings as of eagles, running and not weary, walking and not fainting. Sure sounds like gladness to me.

Father, we may be those in need of gladness and strength today, or someone else who is reading this devotional today may be in need. We pray for ourselves, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, bring that gladness, give that strength today Lord. Give grace to just wait upon You. And, Lord there may be some of us today who are abounding with gladness and a renewed sense of strength, we thank YOU for those blessings in our lives. May it show in our faces and in our words today......bless those we come in contact with.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises.

1. We can wait upon God.

2. We can expect God to come through.

3. We can say thank You Lord for coming through for us.

4. We ask the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh this very moment.

5. We may be walking in that gladness and strength today.

6. We can help others by walking in love towards them.

7. He is the giver of these blessings.

8. He will do it, because He is faithful.