1 Peter 1:13 - Focusing Your Mind On The Blessed Hope.
1 Peter 1:13 (NIV) Therefore, with minds
that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on
the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ
is revealed at his coming.
COMMENTARY PEARL
The apostle [Peter] sought to teach the
believers how important it is to keep the mind from
wandering to forbidden themes or from spending its
energies on trifling subjects. Those who would not
fall a prey to Satan's devices, must guard well
the avenues of the soul; they must avoid
reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest
impure thoughts. The mind must not be left to dwell
at random upon every subject that the enemy of
souls may suggest. The heart must be faithfully
sentineled, or evils without will awaken evils within,
and the soul will wander in darkness. AA518
COMMENTARY
We have each of us an individual work to
do, to gird up the loins of our minds, to be
sober, to watch unto prayer. The mind must be
firmly controlled to dwell upon subjects that will
strengthen the moral powers. The thoughts must be
pure, the meditations of the heart must be clean,
if the words of the mouth are to be words
acceptable to Heaven and helpful to your associates.
The mind should be guarded carefully.
Nothing should be allowed to enter that will harm or
destroy its healthy vigor. But to prevent this, it
should be preoccupied with good seed, which,
springing to life, will bring forth fruit-bearing
branches. A field left uncultivated speedily produces
a rank growth of thistles and tangled vines,
which exhaust the soil and are worthless to the
owner. The ground is full of seeds blown and
carried by the wind from every quarter; and if it is
left uncultivated, they spring up to life
spontaneously, choking every precious fruit-bearing plant
that is struggling for existence. If the field
were tilled and sown to grain, these valueless
weeds would be extinguished, and could not
flourish.
Anyone who finds joy and happiness in
reading the Word of God and in the hour of prayer is
constantly refreshed by drafts from the Fountain of
life. He will attain a height of moral excellence
and a breadth of thought of which others cannot
conceive. Communion with God encourages good thoughts,
noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, and
lofty purposes of action. Those who thus connect
their souls with God are acknowledged by Him as
His sons and daughters. They are constantly
reaching higher and still higher, obtaining clear
views of God and of eternity, until the Lord makes
them channels of light and wisdom to the world.
ML 83
Running Toward Hope
At the 1984 Olympic games, the reigning
champion in the 3,000-meter women's run was Mary
Decker. As the crowd watched the race at the LA
Coliseum, a bare-footed teenager, Zola Budd,
inadvertently tripped Mary, causing the American to fall.
The crowds, believing it to have been
intentional, booed Zola, who felt terrible. But neither
Mary nor Zola were experienced at running in
packs, and film footage showed that it had been an
accident, exonerating Budd.
In today's Bible promise, Peter urgently
appeals to persecuted believers to "gird up the
loins of your mind." To "gird up" means to gather
up the folds of one's clothes in order to run
without tripping. In light of the hope Peter set
before his readers, the hope of an inheritance in
heaven "that does not fade away" (1 Peter 1:4), he
urges Christians to be sober in their thinking.
The blessings of the gospel should encourage
believers to put away everything that would cause them
to stumble and fall.
Paul likens the Christian life to a race:
"Do you not know that those who run in a race
all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such
a way that you may obtain it" (1 Corinthians
9:24). He also urged earnest effort: "I discipline
my body and bring it into subjection" (v. 27).
But in the end, you can "rest your hope fully
upon the grace that is to be brought to you at
the revelation [the coming] of Jesus Christ."
As you run life's race, trust in God's
grace to make you a winner!
Lord, as I run the race toward Your
kingdom, I look forward to the day I may run into
Your waiting arms. [The Most Amazing Bible
Promises by Amazing Facts]
In the past several years, circumstances
beyond my control have dashed one hope after
another. For instance, my husband and I intended to
invite our marina neighbors into our boat-home for
Saturday morning coffee and conversation at least
once every three months, but pandemic
restrictions canceled our plans.
We'd hoped to take a road trip to Alberta
to see family and friends, but our intentions
fell by the wayside when cancer struck a loved
one there. Her medical treatments postponed our
visit.
We'd hoped to attend our mission's staff
conference in Poland recently, but two-family
emergencies hit us within days of our scheduled
departure. We sensed God leading us to cancel our
airline tickets and stay home to address the urgent
needs.
Life is unpredictable, and basing my
hopes on circumstances over which I have no
control guarantees disappointment. But here's a
truth that will never let me down: Jesus will
descend from heaven someday as the conquering King.
Those who have placed their hope in Him for
salvation, though they are dead, will rise to meet
Jesus and spend eternity in His presence (1
Thessalonians 4:16-17). Biblical promises made about the
glories of our salvation will be completely
fulfilled at that time. This is one hope that
guarantees no disappointment. Grace Fox
Faith Step: Identify a dashed hope and
acknowledge the disappointment you felt. Thank Jesus for
understanding your feelings and ask Him to help you focus
your thoughts on the hope He brings. [Mornings
With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 Peter 1:13 - Is Your Mind Properly Focused?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20070426-0912.html
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191111-1036.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
