But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar (Greek: hissing and crackling), and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? 2 Peter 3: 10-11
How should I live my life in the today's world? It's my daily prayer: "Please give me great wisdom to navigate the quagmire and labyrinths of our present culture." I read the news and sometimes feel as though we are all drowning in a cultural Titanic that sinks ever lower with each passing hour. I hear things that make me want to rage! Starving children in Syria, mass rapes in Europe, mass murders everywhere, infanticide in America...inequities or blatant wrongs forced upon us by the laws of our lands or chosen as a result of our spiritual autonomy. I feel choked by it all. Political correctness shuts some of our mouths, too afraid of offending to say the obvious: "Hey, people, this is just wrong and we know it in our hearts!" Sometimes it is our families that become arch enemies on the other side of our beliefs. How do we keep relationships when we are so far apart in ideology? Sometimes the work place or even our church. It's complicated. And I need to keep my head above the waves.
In light of the fact that the end of things as we know them is nearer than it was yesterday, that the Lord will come back to judge this earth, that I belong to Him and believe, counter cultural though it is, that Jesus will return and the Bible is prescient on this subject, what am I supposed to be doing? What sort of person am I supposed to be?
Humble, first of all. He has told you, oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8. To know my God is a deep and mysterious privilege. I didn't earn it. I was even given the faith to have the faith to believe. Therefore, who am I to judge another's lack of faith? God's heart in these days is merciful toward those sinking with the ship. He's unwilling that any should perish, but wants all to repent (2 Peter 3:9). He says this right before the admonition attached to the question of how we should be living in light of the times. But that doesn't absolve me from the "do justice" part of the equation. Do the right thing. Don't get caught up personally with the tide of the times and drown along with those rejecting God's open call to repent. Even when it's unpopular, laughed at or, even worse, the cause of my death, I do what God says...humbly. Mercifully praying for the very ones who hate me as Jesus did from the cross. "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." The idea that I can do this on my own is ridiculous. But I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
Wise, too. Reverence for the Lord is the beginning of that search. Knowing Who He is and reaching for not just a head knowledge of the Word of God, but stretching deeper into knowledge of the heart of God. What does He want in our culture right now? How is His heart broken over our continued rejection of His proffered goodness? That means I spend more time with Him, covered like a baby eagle under the immense wing span of her mother, kept close to the heart beat, warmed in the nestling. Assured that the God of All will one day right all wrongs. That the Judge of All will unfailing pass sentence on those who create the horrific havoc that pervades so much of the world today. Righting wrongs isn't my job. Judging the world isn't either. My job is to keep close to the One Who reigns, now and forever, and to follow His instructions for my own right living in the midst of chaos. Sometimes that means I will offend others. I know this. And I will need to be ready to give a defense for my faith. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; but do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:13-15).
And holy. Not holier-than-thou. That's not what I mean. Holy means to be separate, set apart, not like the rest. It is a call to live what I believe because it pleases my heavenly Father, not so I can strut about on the decks of the sinking vessel and spout scripture verses. I am a member of God's family, and I love the head of the household with all of my heart. I want to be like Him. And, as a child of God, I know what He expects of me. He's an exemplary father that way. There are things I won't do because it breaches my Father's trust. He has rules, yes. And they give me boundaries across which I cannot set foot. I belong to Him is why I must say no to others, sometimes. Why I must cry out for what is right sometimes. It is also why I can't judge another who belongs on the outside of the family of God. Those who are not His don't have to play by His rules, nor can they. But I am called to live like my Father commands, and I joyfully obey for the look in His eyes when He's pleased.
I don't always live it to the fullest that I ought to. But it's my desire to live for Christ in a world that increasingly scoffs at such "foolishness." Paul summed it up in 2 Corinthians 2:15-17: For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men and women of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ. Sometimes I'll bring the stench of death; sometimes the fragrance of life. And I ought to live in such a way that more and more as the day approaches when the ship has sunk below the horizon, I will still be found throwing out life jackets and calling out to Christ to pull some from their deaths. May it be so.
How should I live my life in the today's world? It's my daily prayer: "Please give me great wisdom to navigate the quagmire and labyrinths of our present culture." I read the news and sometimes feel as though we are all drowning in a cultural Titanic that sinks ever lower with each passing hour. I hear things that make me want to rage! Starving children in Syria, mass rapes in Europe, mass murders everywhere, infanticide in America...inequities or blatant wrongs forced upon us by the laws of our lands or chosen as a result of our spiritual autonomy. I feel choked by it all. Political correctness shuts some of our mouths, too afraid of offending to say the obvious: "Hey, people, this is just wrong and we know it in our hearts!" Sometimes it is our families that become arch enemies on the other side of our beliefs. How do we keep relationships when we are so far apart in ideology? Sometimes the work place or even our church. It's complicated. And I need to keep my head above the waves.
In light of the fact that the end of things as we know them is nearer than it was yesterday, that the Lord will come back to judge this earth, that I belong to Him and believe, counter cultural though it is, that Jesus will return and the Bible is prescient on this subject, what am I supposed to be doing? What sort of person am I supposed to be?
Humble, first of all. He has told you, oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8. To know my God is a deep and mysterious privilege. I didn't earn it. I was even given the faith to have the faith to believe. Therefore, who am I to judge another's lack of faith? God's heart in these days is merciful toward those sinking with the ship. He's unwilling that any should perish, but wants all to repent (2 Peter 3:9). He says this right before the admonition attached to the question of how we should be living in light of the times. But that doesn't absolve me from the "do justice" part of the equation. Do the right thing. Don't get caught up personally with the tide of the times and drown along with those rejecting God's open call to repent. Even when it's unpopular, laughed at or, even worse, the cause of my death, I do what God says...humbly. Mercifully praying for the very ones who hate me as Jesus did from the cross. "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." The idea that I can do this on my own is ridiculous. But I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
Wise, too. Reverence for the Lord is the beginning of that search. Knowing Who He is and reaching for not just a head knowledge of the Word of God, but stretching deeper into knowledge of the heart of God. What does He want in our culture right now? How is His heart broken over our continued rejection of His proffered goodness? That means I spend more time with Him, covered like a baby eagle under the immense wing span of her mother, kept close to the heart beat, warmed in the nestling. Assured that the God of All will one day right all wrongs. That the Judge of All will unfailing pass sentence on those who create the horrific havoc that pervades so much of the world today. Righting wrongs isn't my job. Judging the world isn't either. My job is to keep close to the One Who reigns, now and forever, and to follow His instructions for my own right living in the midst of chaos. Sometimes that means I will offend others. I know this. And I will need to be ready to give a defense for my faith. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; but do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:13-15).
And holy. Not holier-than-thou. That's not what I mean. Holy means to be separate, set apart, not like the rest. It is a call to live what I believe because it pleases my heavenly Father, not so I can strut about on the decks of the sinking vessel and spout scripture verses. I am a member of God's family, and I love the head of the household with all of my heart. I want to be like Him. And, as a child of God, I know what He expects of me. He's an exemplary father that way. There are things I won't do because it breaches my Father's trust. He has rules, yes. And they give me boundaries across which I cannot set foot. I belong to Him is why I must say no to others, sometimes. Why I must cry out for what is right sometimes. It is also why I can't judge another who belongs on the outside of the family of God. Those who are not His don't have to play by His rules, nor can they. But I am called to live like my Father commands, and I joyfully obey for the look in His eyes when He's pleased.
I don't always live it to the fullest that I ought to. But it's my desire to live for Christ in a world that increasingly scoffs at such "foolishness." Paul summed it up in 2 Corinthians 2:15-17: For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men and women of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ. Sometimes I'll bring the stench of death; sometimes the fragrance of life. And I ought to live in such a way that more and more as the day approaches when the ship has sunk below the horizon, I will still be found throwing out life jackets and calling out to Christ to pull some from their deaths. May it be so.
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