October 25, 2018 KINGDOM LIVING part 9
1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, gird your mind for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
The Christian life is a call to action, to be on guard, to be diligent, to be focused, and to be steadfast. The gospel of the kingdom of God is not passive and it is not just an option, or a book of suggestions for us to consider implementing. It may seem like a paradox, but the Christian life is one of experiencing the peace of God and at the same time a life of being engaged in battle. As believers, we face battles on three fronts. One is that we live a world system that is contrary to the gospel, thus the stage is set for battle, primarily a spiritual battle. The second is that we must choose whether we walk according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit; the battle comes at the point of us choosing to crucify or deny our self. Also, Satan is out to ‘kill, steal, and destroy’ those who belong to God, he is the deceiver that would turn us from God just as he did Adam and Eve. (Satan’s powers are limited and we have victory over him when we are walking in the spirit.) As we realize that we face these battles in this life, we understand the necessity of girding, or getting our mind ready for action. This ‘action’ is both physical and spiritual in nature. It must be our priority to see that we are taking dominion over our minds, having the scriptural view and understanding of life, and knowing who we are in Him and our purpose in life. Because there are many things that would distract us from focusing on His purposes for us, we must keep sober in spirit, refusing to be distracted. It is essential that we fix our hope on Him and the blessings we will receive when He comes again. We are surrounded by temporal situations and circumstances that would rob us of our hope; if our hope is based on the temporal and on circumstances, we will be disappointed. Also, this verse reminds us that even though we have been transformed, it is possible for us to revert, to be conformed to who we use to be before we were converted to faith in Christ-another reason to keep sober in spirit. Because God is holy, and because we are in Him and He is in us, we also are to be holy in all of our behavior. We must understand that God has chosen to work through those who belong to Him; we have been enlisted into His army; and we are called to live as unto Him-not unto ourselves. Let us not be caught coasting through life; let us take our position on the front lines of battle. We are called to fight in the battles where our victory is already assured-we get to be a part of what He is doing. And remember, contrary to the lie we hear, we can be holy in all our behavior.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, gird your mind for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
The Christian life is a call to action, to be on guard, to be diligent, to be focused, and to be steadfast. The gospel of the kingdom of God is not passive and it is not just an option, or a book of suggestions for us to consider implementing. It may seem like a paradox, but the Christian life is one of experiencing the peace of God and at the same time a life of being engaged in battle. As believers, we face battles on three fronts. One is that we live a world system that is contrary to the gospel, thus the stage is set for battle, primarily a spiritual battle. The second is that we must choose whether we walk according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit; the battle comes at the point of us choosing to crucify or deny our self. Also, Satan is out to ‘kill, steal, and destroy’ those who belong to God, he is the deceiver that would turn us from God just as he did Adam and Eve. (Satan’s powers are limited and we have victory over him when we are walking in the spirit.) As we realize that we face these battles in this life, we understand the necessity of girding, or getting our mind ready for action. This ‘action’ is both physical and spiritual in nature. It must be our priority to see that we are taking dominion over our minds, having the scriptural view and understanding of life, and knowing who we are in Him and our purpose in life. Because there are many things that would distract us from focusing on His purposes for us, we must keep sober in spirit, refusing to be distracted. It is essential that we fix our hope on Him and the blessings we will receive when He comes again. We are surrounded by temporal situations and circumstances that would rob us of our hope; if our hope is based on the temporal and on circumstances, we will be disappointed. Also, this verse reminds us that even though we have been transformed, it is possible for us to revert, to be conformed to who we use to be before we were converted to faith in Christ-another reason to keep sober in spirit. Because God is holy, and because we are in Him and He is in us, we also are to be holy in all of our behavior. We must understand that God has chosen to work through those who belong to Him; we have been enlisted into His army; and we are called to live as unto Him-not unto ourselves. Let us not be caught coasting through life; let us take our position on the front lines of battle. We are called to fight in the battles where our victory is already assured-we get to be a part of what He is doing. And remember, contrary to the lie we hear, we can be holy in all our behavior.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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