“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am Holy.'” 1 Peter 1: 13-16
The Holy Spirit’s instruction and admonition to all is to prepare our minds for action. I know there is more in this scripture, but let’s “camp” here for a moment or two. My thoughts go to those of us who are in the autum years of our life here on planet earth. It is so easy at any age, and particularly as we age, to allow the mind to be entertained but not engaged. It is so easy to slip into our culture of media entertainment instead of meaningful reading or writing or study of some sort.
Do not misunderstand, I believe in media and I use media in every way possible. It can be used to enrich or to engage and make us think. I read on my Kindle reader on my iPad most of the time I read. So I am not speaking here of trying to go backward “to a simpler time,” which really is a figment of someone’s imagination, but with an attitude of alert awareness that takes effort and training to accomplish.
As we age, this gets harder to do and is less prominent than in our earlier, obvious learning years. But Peter (and the Holy Spirit) specifies no age on this – just an instruction to all of us. Our minds must be prepared for action in the Holy Spirit.
How is that done? Well, the Lord may speak a word to you about it (probably about now) that has to do with how He in you would like to accomplish this. He is able and willing to do that for each one of us. For me, it is reading His word in massive amounts and listening then moving into dialogue for my day and for the season. For others it will be different, considering my assignment as a teacher of the Word. However we do it, Scripture, dialogue with the Lord, tongues, moving in the flow of the Spirit – all of the above. Let’s renew that “computer” in our head with and in the Word, then stay alert in our thinking to receive and flow in the remainder of the section of Scripture.
We can dwell in “autumn” while we think like “spring.” A challenge, indeed – but in Him very do-able.
Mannaword 