September 5, 2014

BE PREPARED

1 Peter 1:10–25

Lea Singer
Friday's Devo

September 5, 2014

Friday's Devo

September 5, 2014

Central Truth

Because of God's great love for us, His Son will return to earth one day; and when He does, we want our hearts, minds, and bodies to be prepared to meet Him.

Key Verse | 1 Peter 1:13

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)

1 Peter 1:10–25

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time 1 1:11 Or what time or circumstances the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, 2 1:13 Greek girding up the loins of your mind and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
25  but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Footnotes

[1] 1:11 Or what time or circumstances
[2] 1:13 Greek girding up the loins of your mind

Dive Deeper | 1 Peter 1:10–25

My son was a Cub Scout, and one of the things he had to memorize was the Cub Scout motto -- "Be Prepared." Scouts reinforced this concept of preparedness by having the boys earn badges for demonstrating proficiency in a particular area. Earning an Outdoorsman badge, for example, required learning how to set up a tent, and earning a Readyman badge required learning First Aid. Earning a badge took hard work, focus, and self-discipline.

While many of us aren't Scouts, we can still learn much from these concepts of preparedness. Because God loves us so much, His Son Jesus will return to earth for us. Matthew 24:44 reminds us that for this reason, we "also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour [we] do not expect." This verse is daunting to me because it forces me to ask if I am ready for Christ's coming, and I honestly feel unprepared. But then, I stop and am encouraged by 1 Peter 1:13 because it tells us exactly what to do.

Peter does an amazing job outlining how we prepare for Christ's return. We are encouraged to prepare our minds for action, which we can do by spending time in God's Word every day. We are called to keep sober in spirit, which we can do by guarding our hearts, minds, and bodies from things that distract and destroy. We are encouraged to fix our hope COMPLETELY on the grace that Christ will bring us, which we can do by accepting God's free gift of salvation. To be clear, there's nothing we can physically do to save ourselves. It is only through Christ's death that we are eternally His. (John 5:24).

Being prepared is a "one-moment-at-a-time" battle. We won't be perfect every single day, but we can encourage each other in preparing our minds, hearts, and souls for Christ's return.

Discussion Questions

1. Have you accepted the free gift of salvation that is offered to you through Christ's death?

2. What do you spend your time reading and thinking about? Are you feeding your mind healthy stuff and taking time in God's Word daily to prepare your mind for action?

3. Are you guarding your heart and mind from things that distract and destroy? Are you taking good care of yourself? Are you keeping a pace you can sustain?

4. Are you surrounding yourself with authentic community that communicates Christ's love, truth, and grace?