3.10.2015

Poking and Prodding and Plodding Along with Peter

Bursts of encouraging mental energy often accompany my study of scripture, and I came across this gem this morning:

Prepare your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.   -1 Peter 1:13

(Incidentally, before even cracking the Good Book open, I prayed "God, help me love you better with my mind and thoughts."  This is was the first verse He answered with.  Talk about an instantly-gratified prayer!)

Here's what I love about this.  "Prepare your minds for action" means that faithfully hoping in Christ is neither mindless nor passive.  It isn't for the weak or simple-minded.   It doesn't casually saunter or plod along.  It doesn't call for dull doormats.  Rather, we are called to wake up, to pursue clarity of thought, to ask questions, to wrestle with scriptural claims, to contemplate, to reason, to deduce, to really think!  On the basis of a sober, actively-engaged mind, only then can we fully trust that grace and revelation of Christ.  

Blind acceptance of a truth waivers when doubts and trials come along.  Passive faith drowns in watered-down theology.  The Creator who formed an ordered, logical universe that can be understood by rational minds invites us to use that cerebrum of ours to consider and examine and engage with and poke and prod and ask deep questions of the Words He has given us.

And-- may I just say?-- I love that.

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