1 Peter 1:13-16 (New International Version): "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Too many of us want to keep our old lives even after we have learned that there is a better way to live. We want to have our cake and eat it too. I cannot help but read this passage and wonder why we yield to our old desires and keep our old ways even after we know what Christ has done to redeem us. What does it mean to be holy? Does it mean we can continue to live the same life we did before we started believing in Christ Jesus? I cannot help but look at this scripture and wonder how many of us (including me) are conforming to the evil desires that we had while we lived in ignorance. To live in ignorance simply means we didn't know any better. What excuses do we make to fit Christianity into our mold of what we want life to look like? Do we put our desires ahead of what Christ has shown us to do? Are we making our walk with Christ relevant to our lives, rather than making our lives relevant to Christianity?
I wonder if we have prepared our minds to be self-controlled. How do we prepare our minds for action? Preparation starts with meditating on scripture and by defining what holy is and and striving to line up our lives with what God had defined as holy. I am not self-controlled, and it is more difficult than anyone of us can imagine to put away the evil desires of our heart. But in order to fulfill what God has called us to be, we must hide the word of God in our heart, in order that we will not sin against God.
Let me know what you think being holy looks like and how we can put away the evil desires of our hearts.
