We have been reminded already this summer just how devastating a bush fire can be, and how quickly one can cause havoc. In our passage this week, just as the CFS urges us to be ‘bushfire ready’ and have our ‘action plans’ in place, Peter urges us to be prepared and ready, not for a bush fire, but for suffering for the sake of Christ. “Arm yourselves,” he says, “with the same way of thinking” that Christ displayed when he suffered in the flesh.

Living for the will of God, and not for our own selfish pleasure, is not always easy, and will often evoke some interesting and at times awkward responses from those around us – some of them, difficult to receive. However, we are to be prepared for the weird looks, the conversations stopped short, and for the potential unjust consequences our faith in Christ will bring about. Peter’s instruction to ‘arm ourselves’ before these situations come to pass will help us endure them without compromise, and instead, with Christ-like love and self-control, so that in everything God may be glorified.