For the purpose of prayer...

"The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:7-8

It is amazing to think how important the end of something is. Movies are a great example of this, if a movie starts off well yet ends poorly it isn't likely to have much of a theatrical run. When Peter opens a statement by reminding us that the end of all things is near I am ready to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say through him. Being mindful of the fact that Jesus could come back for us at any moment should cause us to be of sound judgement and sober spirit. This makes sense, and is expected, but I found the next phrase surprising. Why the sober spirit? So that we can pray. It is striking that in view of the fact of Christ's immanent return we are told to keep ourselves ready so that we can have a vital and active prayer life.

"Above all" is another big attention getter. we are told to "keep fervent" in our love for one another. This is the love that comes from resting in Christ. That's not a bad focus for the week, is it? Let's not let anything inhibit our prayer life, and let's let the fervent love that comes from walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5) characterize our interactions.