1 Peter 1:13-19 ESV
“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. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ 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, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
Preparing our Minds for Action
How do we prepare our minds for action? For one, I believe
we need to stop believing everything we hear or read or think we see just
because it comes from what we consider to be a trusted source, or just because
it sounds good, or just because we see a video and so we assume it must be true,
for anything can be faked. Yet, as Christians, we should believe the Bible, but
even there we should test the translations, and we should read Scriptures in
their context so that we do not interpret them incorrectly.
And we need to be sober-minded, for we live in a generation
where it appears sometimes that everything is a joke. We are bombarded with
entertainment and with things that are fun and lighthearted. And even in the
church pastors tell jokes and they are entertainers and clowns who put on a
show for the audience, although not all of them, but perhaps most of them nowadays.
And if you are serious-minded, you are encouraged to lighten up and to have fun
and to have a good time and to not take life so seriously.
So, if we are going to prepare our minds for action, first
of all our minds need to be given over to God and we should not be feeding our
minds with the trash of the world and with what is wicked and immoral and/or blasphemous
against our Lord and against his Holy Word. For even in the gatherings of the
church and on social media Christians are poking fun at the Scriptures and they
are making “Christian” and Bible jokes and humor so that the Scriptures end up
not being taken seriously.
Another thing we have to guard against, if we are on social
media, are the messages being promoted in what appear to be “Christian” memes.
Many of them quote Scriptures out of context so that they are interpreted
wrongly or they just teach what appears to be a biblical message but it is
filled with false notions and twisted truth. And many people professing faith
in Jesus Christ are accepting these memes as truth because they sound good, and
then they are sharing them with other people as though they are truth.
Testing Everything
So, if we are going to prepare our minds for action, we need
to be people of God who are testing what we see and hear and read against the
Scriptures in their context, and who are inquiring of the Lord if something is
truth or a lie, and who ask questions, and who do not believe everything at
face value. For deception abounds!
Now I read one of these memes on social media today which I
believe has a mixed message and that can be taken several different ways, and
it was posted by a fellow Christian, and it says this:
“I like messy people who don’t fit in a box or stay between the lines, but whose integrity is greater than any rule book and whose loyalty is stronger than blood.” It appears the author is “BeHappy.me.”
Now, if this is speaking merely in a physical realm,
speaking of people who are not neat and tidy physically, perhaps because they
are creative people, then that’s okay. But I have seen “messy people” in other
memes as talking about those who are living in sin. And someone who doesn’t
stay between the lines could also be considered someone who is not a rule
follower. But when a Christian speaks of someone of integrity, it should be of someone
who is upright, honest, and trustworthy, who obeys the Lord. And the Scriptures
are our “rule book” by which we are to live our lives.
I don’t know the author, but it was a Christian who posted
this on social media, and the meme, in my opinion, is sanctioning the idea that
it is okay to be outside of God’s boundary lines, which he has in place for us,
and it is okay to be spiritually messy and to not follow the rules, and that we
can create our own sense of integrity which does not go by any rule book. So,
if we are going to prepare our minds for action, we need to be very careful
about what messages we are accepting into our lives so that we do not end up
going against the message that God has for us to follow.
For we are to be holy in all our conduct, and to be holy is
to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into
and conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And to be like Christ is to live
godly and holy lives in obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New
Covenant). And it is to not make sin our practice, but righteousness should now
be what we practice. So we must guard our hearts and minds against messages
which appear to contradict the teachings of the Scriptures.
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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