2 Peter--Know the Truth

Wednesday, October 27

2 Peter—Know the Truth

Today’s reading: 2 Peter 3: 8-10

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. 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. 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.

I love how Peter, in his letter, continues to say things like:

I intend to always remind you... (1:12)

And, I will make every effort so that...you may be able at any time to recall these things... (1:15)

And, I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder... (3:1)

And in today's verses we see once again:

But do not forget this one thing... (3:8).

Peter, as we have discussed before, knows his time remaining on the earth is drawing to a close. Therefore, he is packing a lot of "and remember this's..." into his farewell speech. (Side note: what reminders would your farewell letter contain?)

What does (God through) Peter want us to remember in this portion of his writing?

First of all this: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day (3:8). Initially, when I read this verse, it almost seemed out of place. However, Peter is reminding us of God's eternal character. He is not bound by time or space. In context of the passage, Peter is saying that God will return at his right time, at his choice time. The scoffers were saying, that because of "his slowness", God would not return at all. The false teachers were basically saying, "Live it up; there is no judgment; continue sinning; his grace will cover it!"

And why is God "slow" in his return? Because of his mercy. Isn't that beautiful? He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (3:9). The Eternal God is also the Merciful God. He waits for more and more to come to know him through faith in Christ his Son. We play a part in this as messengers of the Good News.The question is, are we as eager as the Lord is concerning these lost souls?

In order to dispel the scoffers concerning Christ's return, Peter seems to say "mark my words", "I know with certainty"...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 (3:10). In knowing this truth, I have been re-convicted about what I am doing with my days. I do not want to be building up anything temporal that is only going to be "destroyed" and "laid bare" in the end. What a waste of my time and energy--or maybe I should say, what a waste of God's time and the energy he supplies to me...and to you.

From Peter's words today, let me remind you one more time:

Our eternal and merciful God implores us to be his ambassadors, bearing his light in this dark world, while we have time.

Dear Lord,

You are forever, and you want us to be with you. Help us to know the truth and live the truth so that we build into your eternal kingdom rather than our own self-driven one. Give us your heart to share your saving love with others...today. Amen.

Audio of 2 Peter Chapter 3 https://youtu.be/VAlZB5GZ1mQ