12/8/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
2 Peter 3:8-14 portrays God as incredibly patient. In its statement that “one day is like a thousand years” the text indicates that God certainly has time for all our troubles. Imagine that in your life. For quick reference, a thousand minutes are 16 hours and 20 minutes. If you had your waking hours for a day to take care of each minute’s work, everything could be done with intense care and attention. When Peter says “a thousand years [are] like one day” the opposite holds true. Imagine being able to remember everything from your whole day as clearly as you would if it happened in the last 60 seconds. Even I have trouble forgetting something within a minute, though sometimes I can manage.
The Lord’s patience doesn’t mean that he is simply letting us go our own way, whatever our desire is. Not at all. In the end, he will bring the heavens and earth to a close. Though we work, and work diligently, to take care of our planet and its resources, we realize that they are also temporary. They will pass away. One day the Lord will come and do away with everything that is temporary. He will give a new heavens and a new earth, a place where everything is good and right again.
This does confront us with the reality that our conduct is destined to pass away. In fact, our attitudes, our thoughts, and our actions, good as they may be, are perishable. Many of them should have perished long ago. The Lord’s coming shows us the conduct we should be engaged in. Can we work for good? Can we work as if the Lord, who knows and cares for everything, is working in us and through us? Lord, grant us mercy that we may be faithful with the work you have given us.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
2 Peter 3:8-14 portrays God as incredibly patient. In its statement that “one day is like a thousand years” the text indicates that God certainly has time for all our troubles. Imagine that in your life. For quick reference, a thousand minutes are 16 hours and 20 minutes. If you had your waking hours for a day to take care of each minute’s work, everything could be done with intense care and attention. When Peter says “a thousand years [are] like one day” the opposite holds true. Imagine being able to remember everything from your whole day as clearly as you would if it happened in the last 60 seconds. Even I have trouble forgetting something within a minute, though sometimes I can manage.
The Lord’s patience doesn’t mean that he is simply letting us go our own way, whatever our desire is. Not at all. In the end, he will bring the heavens and earth to a close. Though we work, and work diligently, to take care of our planet and its resources, we realize that they are also temporary. They will pass away. One day the Lord will come and do away with everything that is temporary. He will give a new heavens and a new earth, a place where everything is good and right again.
This does confront us with the reality that our conduct is destined to pass away. In fact, our attitudes, our thoughts, and our actions, good as they may be, are perishable. Many of them should have perished long ago. The Lord’s coming shows us the conduct we should be engaged in. Can we work for good? Can we work as if the Lord, who knows and cares for everything, is working in us and through us? Lord, grant us mercy that we may be faithful with the work you have given us.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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