Committed Mind (I Peter 1:13-16) – PART 1

The Importance of a Committed Mind (I Peter 1:13-16) – PART 1

I Peter 1:13, 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; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Exhorting us to endurance, Peter urged us to 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 power to live the Christian life is found only in one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter is pleading that we get focused and remain focused and that we may have a committed mind and put our hope in Jesus Christ. Hope is the confident expectation that something better is coming tomorrow.

The Bible challenges all believers to have of a committed mind or an attitude that is dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus Christ. The following Scriptures are just a few of many where the Bible speaks for us to have a committed mind (Romans 8:5; 12:1-2; I Corinthians 9:25; II Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 2:3; 3:19; 4:8; Colossians 3:2; II Timothy 2:3-7).

This challenge comes even if our dedication leads to suffering. Millions of Christians throughout history have determined to have a committed mind. They have willingly laid down their lives for Christ and died a martyr's death for the Lord. For example, consider the story of the forty martyrs of Sabaste. These forty soldiers, all Christians, were members of the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial army. One day their captain told them Emperor Licinius had sent out an edict that all soldiers were to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. These Christians replied, "You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts' allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ." It was midwinter of A.D. 320, and the captain had them marched onto a nearby frozen lake. He stripped them of their clothes and said they would either die or renounce Christ. Throughout the night these men huddled together singing their song, "Forty martyrs for Christ." One by one the temperature took its toll and they fell to the ice. At last there was only one man left. He lost courage and stumbled to the shore, where he renounced Christ. The officer of the guards had been watching all this. Unknown to the others, he had secretly come to believe in Christ. When he saw this last man break rank, he walked out onto the ice, threw off his clothes, and confessed that he also was a Christian. When the sun rose the next morning, there were forty bodies of soldiers who had fought to the death for Christ. They were armed with a mind committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.

To gird up the mind for action means to be disciplined in thinking. This expression comes from Bible days, and Peter is using it as a word picture, when the people gathered up or girded up their robes for unobstructed activity. Peter commands us to gird up our minds just as such a robe needed to be gathered up in preparation for strenuous activity. Girding up speaks of rolling up your sleeves, that is, get serious about what you're doing. When a person rolls up their sleeves they are going to work. Now, what Peter is saying is that we need to have a single mind. That is, we're to bring all the loose ends together and we are to get single, or Christ minded. We need to discipline our minds for action. Too many hobbies can impede and interfere with our thinking priorities as growing Christians. We should discipline our minds to set our priorities to think more about eternity.

God is pouring His character into you with every righteous decision you make to be like His Son. May we commit our minds to consider what really matters rather than temporal things that will not matter one hundred years from now. May we prioritize our schedule by spending some time alone with the Lord every day. We can do this by reading His Word and speaking to Him in prayer. A consistent quiet time with God is not the easiest habit to maintain, but a committed mind leads us to grow and become stronger in our relationship as we walk with the Lord.

Points to Ponder:
May we be a people who look for Jesus Christ to come at any moment.
May we live clean and holy lives.
Those whose minds are girded up are considering what would Jesus think and do.

Questions to Consider:
Looking back at your life, in what ways can you say you are not the person you used to be?
If you were to ask someone close to you, would they notice these changes in you?
If you knew that Jesus Christ was coming this afternoon, what things would you get right in your life?

PRAYER: Thank You for saving me and also for transforming me into the likeness of Your Son. Forgive me when I fail and give me the strength endure that I may succeed. Help me to have a committed mind that I may make the right choices and please You. In Jesus name, AMEN!

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