Prepare Yourself
Photo by Greg Rosenke
“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NLT).
I think we all would agree that this Holy Week is different from any we have ever experienced before. Holy Week is always a special time. This was my favorite week as a child. My mom made it so special with a new Easter dress, Easter baskets, egg hunts, and a wonderful Easter dinner. Those things were all fun traditions, but I feel like this week could be even more poignant if we purpose it to be.
We all find ourselves in a different world right now. A world where we are not certain of tomorrow. Our plans for the future are fluid as we try to make sense of the present. However, this week we can control and plan one thing…our minds and hearts.
I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like my mind is a little “mush” right now. I feel like it is hard to focus on everyday tasks. In fact, writing this blog is a bit of a struggle. So, how can we focus on Jesus? How can we prepare our hearts and minds for a very special Holy Week?
Examine yourself. It’s in times like these when it is good to run a little diagnostic check on your heart and mind. Ask God to reveal areas that need to be addressed. Allow Him to speak to your heart and gently give correction where correction is needed.
My challenge for myself is to keep my eyes, my mind, and my heart focused on Jesus. That doesn’t mean that I don’t do anything else but think about God. However, it means that I don’t allow myself to go down negative thought trails. I will focus on walking in love and forgiving those that have knowingly or unknowingly done me wrong. I will allow God to speak to me about areas I need to change.
So, I give you the same challenge of preparing yourself this week.
Purpose to examine your heart and mind. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in a new and tangible way this week.
Give worship and praise to Him for His goodness and grace in your life.
Focus on the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice for you. Think about and acknowledge the power of the resurrection and what that means for your life.