Gird Up Your Mind and Hope 1 Peter 1:13

Peter told the Christians who were “scattered” that “the prophets searched diligently for” and “the angels” “desired to look into” the salvation which the Christians experienced personally. This promise was not only for the early Christians who were “scattered”, but also for us. In light of this knowledge, in chapter one and verse thirteen of his letter, Peter charged these Christians to “gird up the loins of” their “minds” where we read:

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

The verse begins, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,...” Peter began with the word, “Wherefore” which means “therefore or on account of” “gird up” or “prepare like unto those who bind their long flowing garments closely around their bodies and fastened them with a leather belt” “the loins” which refers to “the place where the Hebrews though the generative power resided” “of your mind” or “the faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring and way of thinking”, “be sober” which means “calm, collected, temperate, dispassionate and circumspect”. Because these “scattered” Christians received theå the prophets and angels desired to understand, Peter challenged them to keep their minds in a clam, collected and temperate state.

The verse goes on to say, “...and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” Peter continued with, “and hope” or “waiting with joy and full confidence” “to the end” which refers to “perfectly and completely” “for the grace” which means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, good will, loving-kindness and unmerited favor” “that is to be brought” or “carried, moved by bearing, conveyed, borne and upheld” “unto you” which refers to “the Christians who were scattered” “at the revelation” or “manifestation and appearance” “of Jesus” whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God, Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “Christ” or “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”. In addition to being prepared and clam in their minds, Peter desired for them to “wait with full joy and confidence” for the “unmerited favor” of God to be revealed with Jesus appeared again.

When we meditate upon Peter's words, we understand the responsibility we have as specially designated representatives of Jesus Christ. The prophets and angels wanted to realize the “salvation” we enjoy, and since we have the privilege of experiencing it, we should now prepared our minds, be collective and circumspect, and always have “hope for the grace” which Jesus Christ will bring to us when He comes again. May the Holy Spirit of God help us to know just what a great “salvation” we have, and may we always live in a manner which is pleasing to Him.

Next time Peter shares how we are to be as “obedient children”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ;download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.