"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
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." 2 Peter 3:8-9, 11-12 NLT
The promise here is the promise of God's return--His 'coming'. What prompted Peter to write this passage was that there were people, (he called them 'scoffers'), that were going around making fun of God and the fact that He said that He was coming back, but, 'hello', where is He? They were saying that God was lying to us. But in fact, what our God's doing is giving us a chance.
He knows that we are a people that, even with good hearts and intentions, fall short. We have good days and bad days. Some of us are a very bull-headed, stubborn or hard-hearted breed. And since our God is a loving, gracious God, He wants to give ALL His children a chance to turn to home--to Him.
Because folks, whether we want to admit it or not, when He comes back, that's it--no more chances. No more retries. No more timeouts. Our witness is what it is--the good, the bad or the ugly.
What grasp at my heart was the concept that after all that we have done to Him--the denial, the rejection, the pain--He still wants us. He still wants me.
He's not the condemning, hateful deity that is just sitting up there above the clouds somewhere, waiting to pounce on us. Purposely trying to ruin our lives. He is my wonderful, loving, compassionate Heavenly Father that no matter what I do, wants to have a relationship with me. With you. Isn't that a humbling reality?
Your God wants to be in a relationship with you. He desires more than anything to have you turn from the world life you have and enter into the Heavenly life that He has so patiently prepared and waited for you to accept.
Will you? Can you? You can. All it takes is the bending of a knee, the humbleness to accept the fact that you are a sinner and that you need to ask for forgiveness,and finish with the wiliness to have an open heart that desires a life that is filled with God's presence.
Do you think that it'll be easy street once you accept your Heavenly Father's invitation? Wrong. But when you do have troubles, sadness, tragedy, sorrow, temptation--you have a God that will help you through it with His Holy Spirit. You never, ever have to do it alone again.
Come to Jesus! Today. For it is true, you will not know the minute or the hour--but He does and He's waiting for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment