October 7, 2019

BIBLE READING 1 Peter 1:13-16

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.

Be ye holy for I am Holy. What an impossible task. Holiness is complete devotion to our Lord and morally blameless. That is impossible. As fish are preprogramed to swim and horses to run, we as sinners are preprogrammed to sin. So, does God give us a command we cannot accomplish? Yes and No. In our own strength we will surely fail, but in His strength we can succeed. “for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Fortunately, God gives us a game plan to live holy.
1. Vs.13- Gird up the loins of your mind
1. It begins in our mind, (if our heart wasn’t in it, we wouldn’t be seeking to live holy.) The girding up of loins of your mind alludes to picking up a long garment when a person is going to have to run. It’s getting ready for a fight. To live holy is not going to happen without a fight.
2. Be Sober- Being sober means being alert. If you were to walk into a lion enclosure you would be very alert. When it comes to living holy, we must constantly be paying attention to what can harm us spiritually. It takes purposeful caution to live right. It cannot and will not happen by accident.
3. Hoping to the end for the grace- this doesn’t mean we have to hope for our salvation. It is relying daily on the grace of God. The only strength we have against sin is God’s word. Christ, when tempted used scripture to overcome Satan. If we are to overcome temptation and live holy, we must rely on God’s word and His grace, believing he will help us overcome. You can live holy today. Will you claim God’s grace for it?

Jacob Jarriel