Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed... 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care... 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Amazing! Reading the beginning of 1 Peter 1 sets our life in a much bigger context than day to day survival. As I finished reading this section of 1 Peter aloud, I realized that many of my days are not spent as Peter describes. I must admit that if he were to write about my life I am not sure he could describe me, in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. I am working on it! Trying to become a “greatly rejoicer” in all things, but I haven’t made it yet. However, it has been revealed to me that I am not serving myself but you, and those yet to come behind me. In other words, Peter is encouraging us to live our lives in a larger more expansive manner, understanding that, God, in His great preparation connects our lives to all those who have gone on before us. In order to this, we must prepare our minds for action. Peter’s charge to prepare our minds for action must be based on our understanding of that the salvation we have been given is part of His Story. He is returning and life as we know it will come to an end . He is encouraging us to prepare our minds to live a life with our eyes on eternal things.

The word prepare is defined as: to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use or activity. Looking through the scriptures we find our God is definitely a “preparer”. He prepared the garden for Adam and Eve and He continues to prepare a place for us in Heaven (John 14:3). God is working and preparing each of us for His kingdom’s sake. As verse 7 declares, These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

We also are called to be preparers. One of the first things we must settle in the preparation of our minds, is that the action that we are preparing for is for ours and others’ benefit. God desires to use everything that touches our life for His glory. He will use all things to work together for good as we walk in the knowledge of His love and grace. The enemy of our soul tries to cause us to lose that focus. We may begin to wonder, “Why is this happening to me?” Dwelling on this question will cause our thoughts to wander away from the Truth. Our mind may actually lead us astray from His plans and purpose when we haven’t prepared our minds to trust in Him. Another insight into this scripture is found in the King James Version of 1 Peter 1:13 declares: “wherefore gird up the loins of your mind”. This instruction was based on the image of the clothing of the day, long flowing robes. When the racer, traveler, warrior, and laborer of the day really wanted to get down to the job at hand they gathered their long flowing garments and tucked them into their belt so the fabric would not get in their way or hinder their work. We are urged to gird up or tuck in our thoughts and affections, bring them into submission to our godly calling. I don’t know about you, but sometimes my mind seems to be flopping out in the wind, vulnerable to negative thoughts which can trip up my faith, focus, and then my future. I do not want that to happen because Jesus is coming back either for us individually or at the end of the Age and we need to be ready.

He has called each of us to “prepare the way of the Lord”. John the Baptist is not the only forerunner called. We prepare the way of the Lord for every non-believer we meet as we are gracious, loving and wise with them. When we treat them as Christ would treat them, we are preparing the way of the Lord. To keep this thought before us, we need to prepare ourminds for action.

A Prepared Mind

Focused on Christ: Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message

Alert: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have 1 Peter 3:15

De-cluttered: So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
1 Peter 2:1

Out ward and upward looking: My eyes are always looking to the LORD for help. He will keep me from any traps.
Psalm 25:15

War ready: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10

Focused on the Positive: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise
Philippians 4:8

These thoughts will be continued in the next issue, as we explore how to overcome hindrances to walking with a prepared mind.

Written by: Martha Rodman