Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
Scoffers scoff but to those who have received the "precious faith" through the "righteousness" of Jesus Christ, their Savior, Peter writes many things to counter the attack. He's written about their "participating in God's divine nature" by living a Christian life; making "every effort" to know and remember, obey and teach God's truth; he's enlightened them about false teachers and the false teaching that goes with them as well as the false teachers' very ungodly behavior and insolent, slanderous accusations and now he wishes to appraise them of 'scoffers', as we have arrived at 2 Peter 3:3-9.
Peter details scoffer character and work as: "putting doubts into their minds; mocking and knocking at the truth the believers believe about our Lord Jesus Christ, creation, and is He really coming back for you?! It's been soooooooooo long; you still want to believe that? Isn't everything in the Bible just fairy tales, myths or legends?"
When scoffers keep up their tirade and agenda against believers, going on and on, continuously desecrating our beliefs, and asking us if our beliefs are really true; are God and His Word really, the truth? This barrage may well sway our thinking. However earlier in this second chapter of 2 Peter, Peter admonishes his readers to "wholesome thinking" (vs 1). They were to set their compass on God and His Word and constantly refer to Him; this would keep them, and us, nowadays, allowing them to be victorious over-comers in their thoughts. God and His Word would be their bulwark and powerful 'weapon' against all incoming scoffer shrapnel.
Some scoffers mock that "Hah! Your Jesus said He's coming back "soon". That was more than 2000 yrs ago! Your Bible says in Revelation 22:17 "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come' and supposedly, Jesus says, "Behold, I am coming soon! (Revelation 22:12, 13). Do you really think 2000 years, is soon?! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
That may indeed seem a long time ago but, God being God, is ever merciful and patient "not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance"; even those scoffers (vs 9). The scoffers forget that to God the time isn't long: 1 day = 1000 years and 1000 years = 1 day. People talk about "the patience of Job"; what about God? He's got Job beat by a long shot! What's His reason for seeming delay? His love for His creatures. He does not want any to "pass eternally ruined into hell". Not even the scoffers, I repeat.
But God will send Jesus to bring us to be with Him. Whether it is one day from now or another 2000 years from now; He will come and that when everyone lest expects it. Read some more of the chapter; 2 Peter 3:10-13. The earth will be melted and burned up.
Because of this, how should we, as God's children, behave? We ought to live "holy and godly lives"; look forward to being with Him; look forward to a new heaven and earth. We should not embrace the present overly much. That is, if the earth we are living on now will be destroyed, then we don't have to be so materialistic and clinging on to it as Lot's wife clung on to Sodom and Gomorrah. She did that to her own destruction (Genesis 19:26).Let our focus be with our heavenly Father in the coming new heaven and earth life (Revelation 21:1-4). This is where "righteousness will live"! We ourselves had better be living the righteous life too, here and now. Yes, we have been made righteous in God's eyes through Jesus work on the cross and our subsequent acceptance of His gift of salvation. It's our maturity in Christ, that process of sanctification as we align ourselves with Christ-like living that needs daily attention; this in the eyes of mankind (See the book of James: faith without works is dead).
We ought to turn the evil desires of our human nature into willing hearts that submit those desires to God's good and perfect, holy and righteous desires, will and way. This is to become "holy as God is holy" (1 Peter 1:16). We ought to prepare for that life in that "home of righteousness". I'm not suicidal and I'm willing to wait for God's timing for my call to go to Him, but....Ahhh-h-h!...I can't wait to get there.
All this I firmly believe and no scoffer is going to change my mind! I pray that for you all too.
~ERC 2016~
Who is the Eunique Girl??
ReplyDeleteWe are all unique and loved equally by God.
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