THINK WHOLESOME
Opening Prayer
You are awesome in this place, Lord Jesus.
Read 2 Peter 3:1–7
The Day of the Lord
3 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
New International Version (NIV)
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Reflect
In Matthew 27:27–31, Jesus is mocked. Read these verses and ask yourself if you would stand alongside your Savior.Last days or not, mockery of our faith seems to be on the increase. The last vestiges of respect for the church are disappearing. All of us hate being scoffed at. Scoffing is different from light-hearted criticism and nothing to do with good-natured fun. Scoffers are revealed by their motivation.
Such people in our days want what is evil: the undermining of the kingdom of God and their own gratification.
So be it. The challenge is how we should respond. Peter does not suggest that we retaliate. He is clear that retribution can safely be left to God (7). The apostle’s sound advice is in verse 1. Now we see that there is purpose in the vivid accounts this letter gives of the battles faced by the church. Peter wants to “stimulate… wholesome thinking.” Other translations of the mindset Peter is looking for include “pure” (KJV), “sincere” (ASV) and “honest” (NCV). This must be the key as we aim to resist attacks on Christianity in our culture. Let’s get our own heads right. Then the Lord will give us the words we need (Luke 12:12).
Apply
Focus upon the three stages in God’s creation described in verses 5 to 7. Meditate upon the awesome scale of his work, then pray for a renewed sense of your wholesome place in his plan.
Closing prayer
Mighty God, I stand in awe of You. May the trials I face here and now pale in comparison to who You are.
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