Be Prepared
1 Peter 1: 13
“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.”
June-Allyson Ieron wrote a story entitled "One Shot and I Blew It". As a seventh grader who was a chubby, freckle-faced kid, she wanted so much to be accepted by the in-crowd at school. She sought approval by the teachers by working hard to be given the title by others as teacher's pet. This brought her punches, pebbles thrown at her, classmates pushing her down, and name calling. But when you are in seventh grade you want more than anything to fit in. What if it meant no longer trying to get the all A report card? Would that make her more acceptable to others with feathered, pretty, blonde classmates?
June writes of Heather who was the envy of the class. She was shocked to have Heather invite her to a sleep- over for her Birthday with twelve others friends. Almost all of them were in the in-crowd. Now she had a shot of being accepted. They ate pizza, drank Coke, ran around the neighborhood on a scavenger hunt. But when she went upstairs, the girls decided to hold a séance. The idea of contacting other spirits wasn't right to June who accepted Jesus as a young girl. She crawled into her sleeping bag and pretended to sleep while all the time praying for the blood of Jesus to protect her.
When she returned to school the girls still wanted to be friends, but June writes she had changed. She started sitting with the social rejects at the lunch table. Some of those kids were mentally and physically handicapped; some were slow. Many were not good looking. She was one of the few students who would talk to them. These new found friends may not have worn the right clothes, nor had the right combs sticking out of their pockets of their designer jeans, nor mood rings on their fingers, but she no longer had to pretend to be different than what she was. June was no longer in the in-crowd. She was willing to befriend those who needed friends.
We are often faced with decisions in our lives as to who are we going to impress. Whose values do we live by?
Peter was writing to people who were not part of the in-crowd in school or in their community. They were made fun of for going to a Christian church and razed because they wouldn't participate in some of the activities the others wanted them to. They instead looked at their commitment to Jesus as reaching all areas of their lives, even if it meant blowing their shot of being important.
When things get hard and lonely, some people want to quit. The principles that Peter gave this early church are for us as well. He reminded them of the plan of the Father to save them, the cost of Christ on the cross to purchase them, and the conviction and work of the Holy Spirit that is ever with them. He encouraged them by pointing them to Jesus’ second coming and the glory and reward that will be worth it all. The same is true for us.
How can we as Christians be prepared to endure hardship? Are we in it for the long haul? Indeed, Peter tells us, it is worth it.
