2 PETER 3:10-13
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME!
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which
the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will
melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will
be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12
looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which
the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt
with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter
3:10-13 (NKJV)
As we begin this Devotion, it is important that we remember verse 8 from
the previous Devotion: “But, beloved, do not forget this one
thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day.” Ever since Jesus ascended into heaven and promised to
return, people have looked for His return. Even St. Paul gives hints
that he expects Jesus to return at any moment. In our text, St. Peter is
writing to these people and to us saying, “Be ready, the day of he Lord
will come.”
Now these many, many years later, we still need to hear the message that
the day of the Lord will come. We still need to be told to be patient
and to understand that God’s concept of time is far different than ours.
For example, if as verse 8 reads, to God a thousand years is like one
day, it would only seem like almost two days since Jesus ascended.
Unfortunately, most people don’t even consider the possibility of the
Lord’s return. We are so accustomed to people breaking promises,
forgetting to do what they said they would do, or changing their mind,
and we forget that what God says He will do, He does. Even worse, many
clergy do not speak about the Lord’s return because either they also
have given up and have their own doubts or they don’t want to upset
people by suggesting that this minute might be their last on earth.
A few years ago, there were people who did not want children to be
taught, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If
I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take, Amen.” The
argument was that it would scare the children, that they would be afraid
to go to sleep, and that we should not talk about death to little
children. There is a passage that says, "Train up a child in the way he
shall go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Most of
the time, people quote this in relationship to behavior, manners,
ethics, etc. Isn’t it equally important that we should “Train up a
child” to not fear death and to know that when Jesus returns, it will be
a time when those who believe and follow Him will receive joys beyond
imagination in the New Heaven and New Earth where only righteousness
dwells.
As you meditate on these verses, think of these things:
Jesus promised to return and He will keep His promise. The Day of the Lord WILL come.
It will not be a pretty sight as the earth will be destroyed.
Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Who are the "we"?
-- Those who love God and keep His Commandments.
-- Those who follow Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life.
-- Those who go through life and meet each challenge and each opportunity with a simple prayer: Lord, not my will, but Thy Will be done.
WE PRAY:
I know not the hour when my Lord will come
To take me away to His own dear home;
But I know that His presence will lighten the gloom,
And that will be glory for me.
And that will be glory for me,
Oh, that will be glory for me!
But I know that His presence will lighten the gloom,
And that will be glory for me. AMEN
I KNOW NOT THE HOUR from cyberhymnal.org
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
We prepare to go on vacations, we prepare for picnics and potlucks, we
prepare for almost everything, but do we prepare for the day of the
Lord’s Return? Begin today by going to God in prayer and asking Him to
help you remove from your life those things that do not please Him.