"We've learned to fly through the air faster and higher than the birds; swim under the sea deeper and farther than the fish; we can travel in space with greater freedom than the moon;" but now we need to learn to walk on earth like a man. This is found in 1st Peter 1:13.
Mark the stripping. The Bible says, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind." In the days of the Bible the Orientals wore a robe that was long and loose. When they'd flap, they'd catch the wind and wrap themselves around the legs, and they'd hinder action and speed. So they wore a girdle or belt around the waist, and when they had to run or fight they'd tuck the entangling garment under the belt. Just as a loose garment may trip a man and cause him to stumble, so does loose thinking. So the Bible urges, "Gird up the loins of your mind," that is, "put out of your mind all that would hinder you as a Christian." What are some of the things that would hinder you? Hypocrisy, impurity, worry. In the first church there was a man by the name of Joseph who sold a tract of land and brought the money and gave it to the pastor for the needy. This brought him happiness and honor. Now there was another man in that church who wanted praise of man, so, he, too, sold his property to give to the needy through the church. But he thought, "Why give all? I'll keep back some of the price for myself." That was a thought that came from the tempter, even the devil. Instead of stripping himself of that thought, he, with his wife's consent, pretended that part was all, and gave the money to the pastor. But Peter said, "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" It was this thought of hypocrisy that tripped them, and they both breathed their last. One afternoon David arose from his couch and was walking on his roof garden. He saw a woman bathing, and she was beautiful. Immediately there came into his mind the thought of impurity. Instead of stripping himself of it, he thought on it, and took her and they sinned. Then the baby that was conceived in sin, died, despite David's praying. One evening the Lord came to His disciples, walking on the sea. When they saw this, they were frightened, saying, "It's a ghost." And they cried out for fear. But Jesus spoke to them, saying, "It is I, don't be afraid." Peter answered Him, "Lord, if it's really You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But he got his eyes off the Lord, and seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me." And the Lord saved him. Because of his doubt, he started to drown. But he stripped himself of his fear, and cried out in faith, and was delivered. That's girding up the loins of your mind.
Note the sobering. The Bible commands, "Be sober." This has two meanings. One, it means to refrain from drunkenness. Alexander the Great, at 33 years of age, sat on a log and wept. On being asked why, he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer." But he failed in the conquest of self. One night, after an orgy of drinking, he called for the "Hercules Cup" which held a great amount of liquor, and he drained it again and again, only to fall to the floor and die. This hero of a thousand conquests failed in the most important of them all, the conquest of self. But the word "sober" has another meaning. It also means to be steady and steadfast in your minds. You must neither become intoxicated with booze or with business, with wine or with worldliness. You're to be on your guard. You see, the devil is out to destroy you. He knows when to strike. He waited until our Lord was weak from hunger, after fasting 40 days and 40 nights. Then he said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But our Lord was sober…He was steadfast in His mind. He was on His guard, and He said, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
Note the settling. It's written in 1st Peter 1:13, "hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." The Christian is settled. He lives in hope, and because he lives in hope, he can endure any toil or trial because it leads to triumph. For the Christian, the best is yet to come. A bright young girl of 15 was suddenly paralyzed on one side and was nearly blind. She heard the doctor say to her parents, "Poor child! She has seen her best days." "No, doctor," she exclaimed, "my best days are yet to come."
"No chilling winds, nor poisonous breath, can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death, are felt and feared no more."
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association
All Scripture verses are quoted from the New King James Version.
This series of messages on the books of the Bible were originally written for broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The Sower." They are collected and reprinted here for your enjoyment and spiritual edification. Go to the Sower's site for more at www.TheSower.com.
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