Tying up loose ends
1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV) Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
It is an understatement to say that football is a violent sport. Along with the hitting, tackling, pushing and shoving comes the act of grabbing. Many years ago, players wore tear away jerseys so if a defender attempted to grab their jersey in making a tackle they would come away with an empty jersey. Defensive linemen have been known to put Vaseline on the front of their jersey to prevent offensive linemen from grabbing them. Today players wear contour fitting uniforms that appear to be painted on the players. In our verse today, Peter instructs us to gird up our loins. In other words, tie up the loose ends of your mind so you don’t get caught up in the hindrances of this world. If your mind is struggling with the loose ends of lust and envy, then you will be “tackled” and your pursuit of holiness will be sidelined. Do the loose ends of your thoughts get you caught up in pleasing man rather than God? Are they caught up with gossip, resentment, malice and unforgiveness?
Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy your pursuit of the “goal line” of holiness. Don’t give him anything he can grab ahold of and drag you down with. Begin the process today of tying up the loose ends of your mind through His sanctification. Set your sights upon the goal line of holiness and press on.
Jonathan Jones, President of Perfect Hope Ministries