SPIRITUAL MENTAL PREPARATION (PART 5)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And remember that the Heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time here as “temporary residents.”

1 Peter 1:17 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we reach the fifth message in this series, Spiritual Mental Preparation. Our study has had us immersed in the first chapter of 1 Peter where we find specific instruction in regard to how we’re to allow the scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit to groom our hearts and minds properly so that all that we do, whether in action or word or deed, will happen in such a way to glorify, honor, and please the Lord.

In yesterday’s message, we saw how the Word of God calls us to be holy in everything we do, just as our Lord is. This command to holiness is given with the intent of having all Christian believers set them apart from the world and its ways as our home is not really here but in the very Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus promised He has prepared a place for all those who have placed their belief and trust in Him as Savior (John 14:1-3).

This truth that we are not really residents of this world but simply passers-by on the way to an eternal home that is infinitely better is something we find repeated in our scripture verse for today, verse 17. Look again at these words here:

And remember that the Heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time here as “temporary residents.” NLT

Here we see that during our time here as temporary residents, we are to live in reverence before the Lord who is the Maker and Master of all, the One who holds the ultimate authority over Creation and all created things. I love the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of what reverence looks like when applied the right way. Here’s what you find there:

“Reverence implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion, or awe. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to another's judgment or preference out of respect or reverence.”

Profound respect for the Lord, a respect grounded in the utmost level of love and devotion and awe, results in a yielding and submitting to His will and way. This means we surrender our every thought, spoken word, and action to what He desires because no one can guide us to live as right and righteously as He can. He will never lead anyone astray.

As for those who choose to disrespect the Lord by not mentally preparing themselves spiritually, they need to know that He is the supreme Judge of everything we do and will punish or reward according to what He sees in regard to our behavior, seen and unseen. Nothing is hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:13) nor does He play favorites.

Friends, we have been brought into this life by the will of the God of infinite power and wisdom, the God who is always present with us no matter where we are. There is nothing beyond the work of His hands and before Him, no person stands a chance if they decide to be His enemy. He demands, and should command, our undivided attention, dedication, worship, and service. So today and every day, let us ensure our hearts and minds are mentally prepared spiritually to sacrifice ourselves to Him in every way possible so that all we do will be done in reverence to His Holy Name.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.