Prayer Verse

Our prayer verse this week is from 1 Peter 1: 13-16

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."

I'm thinking this morning about the phrase "be self-controlled". The ESV translates this as "being sober-minded". This seems to me to fit better in the context. Peter has just told us to prepare our minds for action. Now he says to be sober-minded. I think the message here is to be serious about this stuff of life. Later in this letter he says "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (5:8, NIV) Now I don't think being serious means that we walk around looking sour and sad and miserable. It just means that we realize and are conscious of the seriousness of what is going on around us. Not fearful. Not frightful. Alert. Sober-minded.