Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; --1Peter 1:13
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I love this verse...it is so helpful for me when my thoughts become anxious to picture what Peter was conveying here. Gird up the loins of your mind...WHAT??? Long robes were worn by men in the days that 1 Peter was written. Now you really can't get anywhere fast with a long robe. Your legs just cannot stretch as far as you would like them, to get up any speed at all and the prospect of tripping increases dramatically. The picture is of a robed man tucking his skirt under his belt so he could run. What it means in terms of your mind is to simply pull your thoughts together. Pull up the loose ends of your thinking and recenter them on what is important. Christ. Discipline your mind and return your focus to the right place. The hope that is ours in Him. Be sober. Think on the right things and rest your hope fully on the promises in His Word. We as believers, girls, live in the present and act in the present based on the future hope we have in Him. We live in the expectation of His return. The verse that comes to mind here is Hebrews 12:1-2.
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Put aside every weight...all those things that encumber and take our focus off our Lord and His power, sovereignty, mercy and grace..and on to those things that are of the world and unimportant in the light of His return. There is such simplicity in being a follower of Jesus and walking the path that He has laid out for us. When we gird up the loins of our minds, lay aside the weights and look up, the things of this world truly do fade away. His glory and His grace remain and our focus once again is in proper perspective. Our actions and decisions are again governed by our future Hope.
Read about Abraham in Hebrews 11:8-16. He exemplified living in the light of a future hope so well. Abraham's eyes looked to the heavenly city and all his decisions were made in light of the promises God had given him.
Thinking soberly is thinking calmly...it is being self-controlled. It is not letting thoughts that are not helpful get the best of you. By God's grace, I do not suffer from anxiety much, but when I do I hate it!! Worry is really the opposite of girding up the loins or loose ends of your mind. I picture a Dr. Seuss character with all kinds of strings flowing from his head and as he moves about they get longer as his worry increases. Eventually they get caught on things and he is pulled in different directions and eventually pulled apart.
The only antidote for worry is to immerse yourself in the word of God. Our flesh in the midst of difficulty tends toward carnality. We give up and give in and in our hearts we say, "Oh, what's the use." Resist the temptations of your flesh and choose instead in the midst of your difficulty to think rightly...to renew your mind with His word. When you find yourself having anxious thoughts...the opposite of really thinking...having thoughts that just go round and round...find a verse or two and recite it and as you recite it, meditate on it. It may take time to combat, but God's word will have its effect. It will guard your mind and His peace will begin to fill it. There is nothing like it...nothing. It will bring you into His presence and even in your darkest times fill you with His joy and His assurance.
Colossians 3:2-4 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Love
Mom
