2 Peter: Know the Truth
Thursday, October 28
2 Peter—Know the Truth
Today’s reading: 2 Peter 3: 11-14
Since everything in it will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
If you know me very well, you know I love a motivational book. So, you can imagine that when I was studying for this post, I paid special attention to a particular statement in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on our spotlight scripture. Wiersbe wrote, “The purpose of prophetic truth is not speculation but motivation.” It made me wonder…could it be that Peter was actually a motivational writer?
Let’s take a deeper look into Wiersbe’s comment…
---The definition of the word speculation is “the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.”
---The definition of the word motivation is “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.”
For centuries, many have read the Bible for the purpose of speculation, trying to “figure it all out”. But, based on Wiersbe’s statement it seems that Peter wasn’t writing about the future coming of God for us to try and figure out when and how it was going to happen. He was trying to motivate us, to give us reasons to act in a certain way, a godly way, in preparation for our Eternal reward in Christ.
So how are Peter’s words in our passage today motivating?
Well, first of all, Peter wanted to put things into eternal perspective for the early Christians and for us, so he described what will happen right before Jesus returns to set up His Kingdom. That day, everything as we know it on this earth will be destroyed by fire. Not only that, but even the sky will catch fire. Most of us don’t want to think about this doomsday scenario, but the Bible is clear that it will happen. So how does this motivate us… it reminds us that everything around us is temporary. Everything that we see, hear and experience in this world will be gone in an instant. So that encourages us to focus on the forever.
Notice that Peter does not want us to be frightened or anxious about this future event. Rather, he wants us to eagerly wait for the moment when Jesus comes back just as God promised. “This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Peter was there at the ascension, so he affirms: “But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” What new heaven and new earth? The one John saw in a vision: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” (Revelations 21:1). God has promised that He will prepare a new place where we—those who have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus—can live forever. Another point of motivation – check!
Finally, Peter asks the question: What kind of people should we be as we await the coming of Christ? If we are eagerly expecting His coming, this should motivate us to live pure lives every day, “[making] every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with [God].”
I definitely find motivation in this passage of Peter’s letter. It motivates me to want to be ready as I anticipate the fulfillment of God’s promises – life eternal through Christ! How about you, Sister! Do you feel motivated through these scriptures?
Dear Lord, Thank you that You always keep Your promises! We love that we can depend on You to come through in any situation we face. God, thank you for the words of Peter that motivate us to live godly, holy lives, spotless and blameless. May we be motivated and to live joyfully in Your peace so that we can be effective witnesses for You and for Your Forever. In Jesus’ Name and for the Father’s glory, Amen.
Audio of 2 Peter Chapter 3 https://youtu.be/VAlZB5GZ1mQ
