Living in the light of His return
Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 CSB
Peter begins this new section with the word, “Therefore.” Anytime “therefore” is used, it is to signify looking back to the previous section and include that into the current section. Peter sets the boundaries for our behavior. Because the previous section was reflecting on our salvation and the hope that it brings, that becomes our starting point. The ending boundary is when Jesus Christ is revealed, seen in the end of the verse. So, as believers, we must remember the beginning of our salvation and continue to live in light of it until Christ returns. So, the question is then how do we accomplish that long marathon of living in such a manner? First, we must ready our minds for action. Back in high school, I used to do Taekwondo. Whenever I had a sparring match, I had to mentally prepare myself for combat. I recalled the stances I would use, the kick combinations, the feints, and the blocking positions. I had to remove all other distractions and focus at the fight ahead of me. In the same way, Peter is calling the believers here to prepare themselves and have a disciplined mind as they trek through this life despite the trials and tribulations that they may face and solely focus on the Lord. Secondly, we need to be “sober-minded,” or in other translations, “be self-controlled.” Peter encourages the believers to be on alert and to be realistic of the challenges that you will face as a believer. During times of trials, it is easy to slip into a mindset of exaggerations and denials of the current circumstances. Yet, Peter tells us to “set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you.” When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we experienced the beginning of His grace. When He appears when He returns, His redemptive work will be realized in all the believers. He grants them full salvation through deliverance from sin, glorification of body and soul, and the knowledge that He will be in their midst forever. This should spur us to be hopeful of the future, giving us a positive demeanor, that even though we are going through difficult trials and pains, we know that there is a bright future ahead of us in the life to come. If we believe in the second coming of Christ, it should motivate us to make positive changes in our lives. If Jesus were to come today, what would He see in you? My prayer is that He would see a servant of His fully committed to His will. Live in such a manner every day.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
