SCRIPTURE:
“Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along.
On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.
But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”
2 Peter 3:11-13
OBSERVATION:
Here Peter is telling of last days events, those who will scoff at the idea that the LORD Jesus is returning to judge the world and all who reject Him, and the destruction of the world as we know it...He did it the first time with water (the Flood), next time around it will be with fire, and nothing will be left of the old.
How terrifying this seems to be!
But, if we truly subscribe to the truth of God’s plan, and the eternal security that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ, it shouldn’t frighten us. In fact it should excite us!
Not that we are all for destruction and death, good heavens no.
But this is the very thing that 4,000 years of prophecy, of foretelling and forth-telling have led to, and now in past-tense we would get to see God’s plan unfold just as Jesus told Peter, and us.
Quite simply, we are not “home” yet. We are just passing through this mortal life.
APPLICATION:
So then, how shall we live?
We really need to detach each day, the things that appeal to the world and lead us away from a healthy faith in Christ alone.
Peter tells us to live and strive to pursue godly and holy living. What’s that look like?
We can conjure up imagery of holiness as some kind of pious monastic robe wearing denial of self. For some that’s cool, but if there’s no inner transformation, we basically make ourselves to be religious actors.
Like the dude who dressed as Jesus and walked around the neighborhood only to be smoking joints and getting weird afterward. Not real. No bueno.
Holy and godly living means we try our best to be less like our old selves, and more like Jesus each day, good days and bad. Like I heard it said, some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the bug.
We need to be in the Word daily, so we recall over and over how much we need a Savior, and how much we need to try to do what He did, say what He said, and think like He thought.
That’s as simple as I can think. The more we push toward being like Jesus, the easier it is to know the day of the LORD, a terrifying day, but also knowing how glorious it will be. Moving day.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, less like me, more like You, until You call me Home.
That’s today’s prayer. Amen.
