August 25, 2015 WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE
2 Peter 3:10-12b: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…..”
2 Peter 3:14: “Therefore beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and
What we believe affects our behavior. If we meditate on what is being said in the above verses and we truly believe what is said, it will have a profound impact on our lives. We tend to be very temporal in our thinking and our lives show proof of that. For many, including Christians, Gods’ coming for His people will be a total surprise-and will be caught off guard. Several years ago, our home was broken into while we were away and when we returned home, we were totally shocked and surprise to find that a thief had indeed come when we least expected it. Peter is encouraging, and warning believers, not to be caught off guard-but rather be looking for and expecting His return. My view of life and my view of “things” is affected when I stop and am reminded that the earth and all of its works will one day be destroyed with intense-burned up! As believers, we must know that there is a “day of the Lord” on the horizon. The fact the Lord is coming again should have a profound effect on our daily lives just as Peter was expecting it to have on the believers of his day. Peter pointed out that expecting His return would have a definite impact on three areas of our lives. First, our conduct should be “holy”. Our actions, the things we do, should honor Him and should be done with a view that He is coming back. We should gauge any of the things we do on whether or not the Lord would be pleased if He were to return while we are doing what we are doing. Also, we are to be found living a “godly” life-that is, our life should reflect what God is like. Being “godly” is not something we have to strive at; being godly is a by-product of knowing God as our Father and because of our new heart, living life in a way that pleases Him. Because of the great blessing it will be, believers can actually hasten the day of His coming back for His people. Peter goes on to say that because we are looking for these things, we are to be “diligent to be found in peace spotless and blameless.” There are many things in the world- the cares of this life that would draw our attention away from the Lord and His return and because of that, we are to be diligent. If somehow, the Lord and His plans are not “on the front burner” of our hearts and minds, then we will be distracted and will not be ready when He returns. To anticipate, to look forward to His return, does in no way mean that we are to neglect the responsibilities we have in our present life and it does not negate enjoying life. In fact, if we are looking for His return, we will have a more fulfilled life here and we will have a healthy perspective of life, “seizing” each day and doing everything as unto the Lord. There is a balance-“a both and”-understanding that we need to have when it comes to living with purpose on planet earth and looking for His return. I heard an elderly pastor once say that “we should not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” Certainly, we are to be good stewards of life here on earth and we are to be salt and light and we must be faithful in fulfilling our responsibilities. At the same time, we must realize that this world is not our home and we must remember that He is coming back for us to receive us to Himself. Our anticipation of His return can and should have a great impact on how we live our lives on a day to day basis. Let us remember that God is our Father, He has a purpose in our life on earth, and He has a grand plan to come at the perfect time to make our redemption complete. We have every reason to be overcomers in life because Jesus overcame death and the grave and He has joined us to Himself.
2 Peter 3:8 “But do not let this one fact escape you notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Peter 3:10-12b: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…..”
2 Peter 3:14: “Therefore beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and
What we believe affects our behavior. If we meditate on what is being said in the above verses and we truly believe what is said, it will have a profound impact on our lives. We tend to be very temporal in our thinking and our lives show proof of that. For many, including Christians, Gods’ coming for His people will be a total surprise-and will be caught off guard. Several years ago, our home was broken into while we were away and when we returned home, we were totally shocked and surprise to find that a thief had indeed come when we least expected it. Peter is encouraging, and warning believers, not to be caught off guard-but rather be looking for and expecting His return. My view of life and my view of “things” is affected when I stop and am reminded that the earth and all of its works will one day be destroyed with intense-burned up! As believers, we must know that there is a “day of the Lord” on the horizon. The fact the Lord is coming again should have a profound effect on our daily lives just as Peter was expecting it to have on the believers of his day. Peter pointed out that expecting His return would have a definite impact on three areas of our lives. First, our conduct should be “holy”. Our actions, the things we do, should honor Him and should be done with a view that He is coming back. We should gauge any of the things we do on whether or not the Lord would be pleased if He were to return while we are doing what we are doing. Also, we are to be found living a “godly” life-that is, our life should reflect what God is like. Being “godly” is not something we have to strive at; being godly is a by-product of knowing God as our Father and because of our new heart, living life in a way that pleases Him. Because of the great blessing it will be, believers can actually hasten the day of His coming back for His people. Peter goes on to say that because we are looking for these things, we are to be “diligent to be found in peace spotless and blameless.” There are many things in the world- the cares of this life that would draw our attention away from the Lord and His return and because of that, we are to be diligent. If somehow, the Lord and His plans are not “on the front burner” of our hearts and minds, then we will be distracted and will not be ready when He returns. To anticipate, to look forward to His return, does in no way mean that we are to neglect the responsibilities we have in our present life and it does not negate enjoying life. In fact, if we are looking for His return, we will have a more fulfilled life here and we will have a healthy perspective of life, “seizing” each day and doing everything as unto the Lord. There is a balance-“a both and”-understanding that we need to have when it comes to living with purpose on planet earth and looking for His return. I heard an elderly pastor once say that “we should not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” Certainly, we are to be good stewards of life here on earth and we are to be salt and light and we must be faithful in fulfilling our responsibilities. At the same time, we must realize that this world is not our home and we must remember that He is coming back for us to receive us to Himself. Our anticipation of His return can and should have a great impact on how we live our lives on a day to day basis. Let us remember that God is our Father, He has a purpose in our life on earth, and He has a grand plan to come at the perfect time to make our redemption complete. We have every reason to be overcomers in life because Jesus overcame death and the grave and He has joined us to Himself.
2 Peter 3:8 “But do not let this one fact escape you notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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