Ready for Action

“Therefore, get your minds ready for action.” (1 Peter 1:13 CSB)

A strong message from Peter to believers is to get ready and be ready, because of the living hope that is in us. Ready for what? Well, ready for action. But what action? Essentially, the action of following Jesus faithfully throughout life. And to help us know how to do this, he offers us several basic admonitions.

First, he says we need to be self-disciplined. There is a sense in which all discipline is self-discipline. We must decide that we are going to learn and apply what we learn in the ways that we live out our lives.

Second, he encourages us to set our hope totally on the grace of God, which will be revealed fully at the return of Christ. That means that we do not put our hope in anything else or anyone else. We may have some other hopes, but in terms of living as a Christian, we focus our hope only on Jesus.

Third, we are to be holy and to act holy. We cannot act holy until we are, and we are when Jesus says we are. He says we are when we believe in Him, because His blood covers over all our sins. As believers, we are called into holiness, and we, therefore, have an accountability to conduct ourselves in reverence before God.

Fourth, we are to love one another. We apply truth to our lives and follow the Lord in obedience, and because we do God’s love in us expresses itself in terms of a sincere love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The new birth we have received from the Holy Spirit enables us to do this.

Lord, Help us today to be ready for anything that comes our way, by being self-disciplined, setting our hope in You alone, being and acting holy, and by loving one another as You have loved us. Amen.