“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NASB1995)
If we, who are followers of Jesus Christ, are preparing our minds for action, keeping sober in spirit, fixing our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ, what should that look like in all practicality in our daily lives? It should mean that we are taking God and the teachings of the Scriptures to heart, and we are applying the truths of the Scriptures to our daily lives in what we practice each day. And it means we are walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands and no longer in sin.
It also means that our lives are surrendered to the will and purpose of God for our lives, we are following him wherever he leads us, and we are being and doing who and what God had planned for our lives even before we were born into this world. We are daily listening for the Spirit’s voice within us guiding us and directing us in the ways of the Lord, and we are following his leading. We take seriously our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord, and we take seriously the teachings of the Scriptures, putting them into practice.
And another thing we need to take seriously here, which is taught all throughout the New Testament epistles, is that our salvation from sin and eternal life with God are not based on giving God lip service only, making a profession of faith in him while we end up going about life living it however we want to for our own pleasure. The Scriptures teach progressive salvation which will not be completed until Jesus returns to take his bride to be with him for eternity, and contingent on our obedience and us not living in sin.
[Matthew 10:22; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:31-32; John 15:1-12; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Galatians 5:16-24; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Hebrews 3:6,14-15; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5,9; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 1 John 2:24-25]
As obedient children of God, we are no longer to be conformed to the former lusts we had before we put our faith and hope in the Lord Jesus and his salvation from sin. Sin must no longer be what we practice. But now righteousness and godly and holy living must be what we put into practice daily, by the Spirit, in the power of God. Not one of us should still be walking in sin, living for our sinful desires, while ignoring God and his commands. But we should all be clay in the hands of the Potter (God) being molded into the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, one day and one step at a time.
And we are to be holy in ALL our behavior. And to be holy is to be morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to God and to his commands. And it means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made to be like Jesus, by God, as we cooperate fully with God’s work of grace in our lives in changing us to be more like Jesus. We are no longer to live like the world, for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, but now our lives are to be surrendered to God to doing his will. Amen!
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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Preparing Our Minds for Action
An Original Work / October 3, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love