Therefore, gird 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.

That's the verse we focus on.

Peter begins by saying, therefore, having girded up the loins, the hips of your mind.

It's an image of in those days people wearing flowing clothes, not able to run easily in those clothes,

reaching down between their legs and pulling the back skirt up and tucking it in their belt.

That's the way you gird up your loins.

So you turn a robe into running shorts, in other words.

Okay? That's the way you do it.

And you can move, and you're not hindered by this ordinary domestic way of dressing.

That's his first image. Do that to your mind.

To your mind. The mind needs to move.

It needs to be free. It needs to act.

The second image is and being sober. So he's talking about a

mental spiritual alertness, avoiding anything that numbs and intoxicates the minds of spiritual things.

The two images, girding up the mind, ready for action, and avoiding mental inebriation.

And then the third thing, hope fully.

Fix your hope completely. Now this is the first command in 13 verses. There's not

been anything he's told you to do up till this time. Up till this time he has been celebrating,

bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus with all the reasons of verses 3 through 12 he's been exulting and

worshiping and celebrating salvation and celebrating grace and now with a grand

therefore comes the first command.

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