Job 31
Psalm 100
*1 Peter 1
Devotion by J.J. Fletcher – J.J. is a 2009 graduate of Atlanta Bible College and has been pastoring Pine Grove Bible Church (Brooklyn Park, MN) since 2017. He has been married to Hope (Kirkpatrick) for 18 years and has 4 children.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
This quote is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but there is no evidence that he said or wrote it. It’s a good quote, nonetheless. Preparation is critical to proper execution.
John Kruck, a former Philadelphia Phillies baseball player, once joked that he drove hitting coaches crazy because he once used 6 different batting stances in an at-bat and ended up striking out. Baseball players work on their batting stance to get their timing and swing path to a consistent, repeatable motion so that they are not inaccurately flailing at incoming pitches. Preparation is critical to proper execution.
In 1st Peter 1:13, Peter calls on his readers to “prepare their minds for action” and to be “sober-minded.” This is a call to preparation for the goal of living holy lives. As Jesus lived a life filled with holy conduct, Peter says that “you also be holy in your conduct.”
Peter recalls the former ignorance of his readers, living outside the redemption of the Gospel, living lives motivated and marked by their passions or desires, and encourages them to instead strive for holiness.
We all have issues with things that are not holy. Temptation abounds, whether it’s lust, pride, laziness, excess, or the myriads of other things that we might struggle with. Deciding to follow Jesus does not magically eliminate all of these temptations. Whether we’ve been a believer for 5 minutes or 50 years, the struggle remains, but the way that we prepare ourselves for daily spiritual warfare will help determine how successful we are at avoiding the traps of sin.
The language that Peter uses for prepare is literally to “gird up.” In antiquity, men would wear long, baggy outerwear that would be cumbersome to perform many tasks in, so to gird up your loins meant that you would tie up the loose fabric around your belt so that it would not clench up or be a tripping hazard. That is the imagery we are to see here: prepare your mind for the life and battles ahead, just as you would adjust your clothing for a particular task. Being sober-minded means being self-controlled. Self-control is an intentional practice that takes preparation and is marked by discipline. We must be mindful of where/what our temptations and weaknesses are and have an action plan for how we are going to respond when sin is crouching at our door. We should pray for strength, and God will help us, but we must also actively work to orient our lives in a way where we don’t find sin backing us into a corner. Preparation is critical for proper execution.
Reflection Questions
- What has become reoccurring tripping hazards for you? Consider specific temptations, bad habits, attitudes.
- How would you rate your self-control? How can you strengthen your self-discipline muscles? How can stronger self-control help you make better use of the time, gifts, body, and blessings God has given to you?
- What specific exercises, attitudes, thoughts, activities, accountability, verses, songs, etc…would be helpful to prepare your mind for holy action?
Prayer
Dear Father – You are perfect in all Your ways and thoughts, attitudes and actions. And I am not. Forgive me for the times I have not heeded Your word and Your will and instead became tripped up by a lack of self-control and fell to selfish sinfulness. Thank you for all the blessings You have provided for me, including life. Help me to use my mind, body, time and blessings in ways that are pleasing to You. In Your Son’s name, I pray, Amen
Seek Grow Love 