Daily Bread 2011 - 2 Peter 3
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
What Does This Mean?
In 2 Peter, one of the author’s main concerns is that the believers would not be ready for the return of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is spoken of throughout the Old and New Testament as a day of judgment and reckoning. In the Old Testament many associated it with the coming of the Messiah, and the new kingdom He would set up. Although Jesus’ coming was certainly a day of the Lord, it is not the final day of the Lord; when Jesus will return a final time.
There were some scoffers who were saying, “Since Jesus had not come back yet and you have been talking about it, why worry about it. Eat, drink, be merry!” The author reminds the reader to beware that God’s timing is not like our timing. While we often live only in the moment and are often not able to plan for the future, God is outside of space and time. One thing is for sure, when the Lord comes it will be swift and for those who aren’t prepared it will not be good.
Yet as believers, we can depend on God’s promises and not worry about His coming. As we are abiding in Him and living in step with the Spirit, we can have peace and know we are covered in Christ. But yet we see God’s urgency in others coming to faith and how His patience is related to His love for all people.
What Does This Mean For Us?
In one sense we should be at peace knowing we are God’s child and we are completely covered by His grace, and yet we should also have a sense of urgency and be bold in our invitation and challenge to others. We live in the in between time frame, where Jesus has come already, yet not finished the work of His kingdom. In the meantime He has called us to be part of the Church which is about bringing God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.
Listen to how Nicky Gumbel, creator of the Alpha Course puts it. “The battle is not over yet. On the Cross Satan, the Devil, was defeated, demoralized. The Cross and the Resurrection are the decisive moment in history. But the Devil was not destroyed. There will come a moment when he is destroyed, when Jesus returns. If you like, it’s a bit like the difference between D Day and VE Day. D Day was the decisive moment of the Second World War, 6 June 1944. That determined the outcome of the war. There was no real doubt about the future of it, but it wasn’t over—the mopping-up operations continued until VE Day on 8 May 1945, when the war in Europe was over. And in a sense we live between D Day and VE Day.” (Alpha Talk on How Can I Resist Evil, N Gumbel)
Jesus prepare us for your eventual return. May we be at work in the Vineyard using the gifts we have been given to draw people to Your Father’s love in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What Does This Mean?
In 2 Peter, one of the author’s main concerns is that the believers would not be ready for the return of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is spoken of throughout the Old and New Testament as a day of judgment and reckoning. In the Old Testament many associated it with the coming of the Messiah, and the new kingdom He would set up. Although Jesus’ coming was certainly a day of the Lord, it is not the final day of the Lord; when Jesus will return a final time.
There were some scoffers who were saying, “Since Jesus had not come back yet and you have been talking about it, why worry about it. Eat, drink, be merry!” The author reminds the reader to beware that God’s timing is not like our timing. While we often live only in the moment and are often not able to plan for the future, God is outside of space and time. One thing is for sure, when the Lord comes it will be swift and for those who aren’t prepared it will not be good.
Yet as believers, we can depend on God’s promises and not worry about His coming. As we are abiding in Him and living in step with the Spirit, we can have peace and know we are covered in Christ. But yet we see God’s urgency in others coming to faith and how His patience is related to His love for all people.
What Does This Mean For Us?
In one sense we should be at peace knowing we are God’s child and we are completely covered by His grace, and yet we should also have a sense of urgency and be bold in our invitation and challenge to others. We live in the in between time frame, where Jesus has come already, yet not finished the work of His kingdom. In the meantime He has called us to be part of the Church which is about bringing God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.
Listen to how Nicky Gumbel, creator of the Alpha Course puts it. “The battle is not over yet. On the Cross Satan, the Devil, was defeated, demoralized. The Cross and the Resurrection are the decisive moment in history. But the Devil was not destroyed. There will come a moment when he is destroyed, when Jesus returns. If you like, it’s a bit like the difference between D Day and VE Day. D Day was the decisive moment of the Second World War, 6 June 1944. That determined the outcome of the war. There was no real doubt about the future of it, but it wasn’t over—the mopping-up operations continued until VE Day on 8 May 1945, when the war in Europe was over. And in a sense we live between D Day and VE Day.” (Alpha Talk on How Can I Resist Evil, N Gumbel)
Jesus prepare us for your eventual return. May we be at work in the Vineyard using the gifts we have been given to draw people to Your Father’s love in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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