Prepare Your Mind

1 Peter 1:13-16

There are several key words and significant statements in these four verses: minds, alert, sober, hope, grace, obedient children, do not conform, be holy. Peter contrasts what we are now (obedient children who have alert and sober minds) to what we were then (living in ignorance). He contrasts following Jesus (be holy) with conforming to "evil desires" (which echoes Paul's language in Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed..."). The two main commands are 1) set your hope on grace and 2) be holy.
This section starts with "therefore" which means that the argument Peter makes in this section is based on the truth of the previous section. Looking back, I think Peter is saying "Because the good news message of grace that Jesus revealed to this world is so great and valuable, you should set your hope on that grace and be holy."
From this passage I am reminded that God is holy. He is completely different than anything in creation. Yes, humans are made in his image (not physical image for God is Spirit and has no body) and therefore we reflect some of the characteristics of God: creativity, love, justice, mercy, grace, patience, etc. But we are such poor reflections. God is holy - he is in a league all by himself. There is nothing that compares to him. Too often I make God according to my image. I diminish his glory by making him smaller or less than he really is. God is indescribable. Words fail to properly display how great, how perfect, how pure, how different, how holy he is.
I am called to be holy. Often I take this to mean that I am called to be pure and strive for a standard of perfection. This is only part of the picture. I am called to be different, to stand out and to be set apart. I have been sanctified which means that my sole purpose is to serve God. Let me not waste my breath, my energy, my focus or my time on anything that does not bring God glory.
How does this prepare me for L.A.? The truth is that L.A. act like a small picture of all of life. I will only have limited time to spend in L.A. so I don't want to waste it. I want to take advantage of every opportunity to learn, to serve, to grow and to glorify Christ. The same goes for my life. I only have limited time. Let me not waste it!