1 Peter 4:7-8
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Verse 7 says that we should "be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers". There is a correlation between our purity and our prayer life. When we are obsessed with lustful thoughts, we are not able to clearly pray, for our mind becomes clouded with our obsession. In other translations "self-controlled" is translated as "alert", and "sober-minded" as "serious". The idea is to guard our thoughts, for what we think about does have an effect on our actions, and our priorities. This is the opposite of just reacting to life, instead it is proactively seeking God's will. The other thing of interest in this verse is the command in verse 8 to "keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins". Our focus should not just be on avoiding sin, but on loving others, for in doing so we do two things: we shift our focus off of ourselves and our sinful obsessions, and we please God by loving others.
Lord, help me to be self-controlled and sober-minded, and to truly love others.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Verse 7 says that we should "be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers". There is a correlation between our purity and our prayer life. When we are obsessed with lustful thoughts, we are not able to clearly pray, for our mind becomes clouded with our obsession. In other translations "self-controlled" is translated as "alert", and "sober-minded" as "serious". The idea is to guard our thoughts, for what we think about does have an effect on our actions, and our priorities. This is the opposite of just reacting to life, instead it is proactively seeking God's will. The other thing of interest in this verse is the command in verse 8 to "keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins". Our focus should not just be on avoiding sin, but on loving others, for in doing so we do two things: we shift our focus off of ourselves and our sinful obsessions, and we please God by loving others.
Lord, help me to be self-controlled and sober-minded, and to truly love others.