Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Sanctification of the Church
1 Peter 1:13-19In this passage, we can see that Peter begins with a command in which he states ”Preparing your minds for action, and being self-disciplined” The key phrase here is to have your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The word completely comes from the Latin word ‘completus’. Our hope is to completely be in God's grace. We are not to be happy with our hope of 50% on God, 10% on the job, 20% on family, and 20% on possessions. If our hope is divided, then we are shaken. There are three commands Peter is giving to each and every one of us:
1. Set Your Hope Completely on His Grace
In all of your daily activities remember to place your hope completely on the grace of God. Without faith or hope, we cannot continue to live our lives, and we will live our lives without purpose. With faith and trust put in the Lord, we can achieve all things. Through hope and faith, our lives will be successful, and we will be able to endure the blessings of God.
2. Preparing our Minds for Action
God has set us up for a trial that will last the rest of our lives. He wants to make sure that we continue to abide by him so that we could continue the journey in his plan. Without trusting in his plan, we won’t be able to take action on what he has prepared for us. We must be prepared to be able to handle what comes our way and to fully trust his cause.
3. Be Self-Controlled
We should place our Hopefully on the grace of God by exercising self-controllability. We as Christians must control our wants and needs. Our problem is that we want everything and we want it now. A lack of control and discipline in this world will bring us a tremendous amount of problems. We must remember Matthew 6:20 which says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for giving us another day to worship you and glorify you. Help us, Lord Jesus, to hold steadfast to prayer, relying on the Word of God, in all despair.
Thought for the Day
Remember to be holy, because the Lord is holy.
Allen Mathew
Epiphany Mar Thoma Church, New York