2 Peter 3:8-9

But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

Imagine living 24 hours and by the same time tomorrow being 1000 years older! You could really get a lot done!! This verse is a reminder that God is not locked into time on a moment by moment basis like we are. But neither does He lose track of human time frames. He doesn’t get distracted, look back and think, now where’s that person? Oh woops they died 100 years ago! God is precise down to the last second.

It’s also a reminder to us that just because something happened thousands of years ago, ie the flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, in God’s perspective it happened just a week or so ago. These judgements of the past are reminders for us to live careful and holy lives for God.

This verse is also a good balance to those that subscribe to the ‘God has already chosen who will become Christians therefore we don’t have to do anything’ theory. If God had His way, every single person on the planet would be saved. And by delaying His return, it works to the advantage of those who don’t yet know Jesus.

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Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

Jesus said I am the light of the world but here He states so clearly that we also are the light of the world. I think it’s easy to under-estimate what we have as Christians. We have as much advantage over the non-Christian as a person walking through difficult terrain in daylight has over a person stumbling along through darkness. In the living Bible in 1 Corinthians 2:15 it says ‘But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all.”

I think too often we defer to the ‘experts of the world’, but as Christians we have the perspective and the insight to bring order out of chaos and solutions that will lead mankind to a truly bright future. We don’t need to be arrogant about that, but neither should we be hiding our light under a bowl, but rather we should let our light shine before men.

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2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV

I’ve always found these verses interesting. I’m not sure if this list of virtues is strictly progressive, but certainly love is the ultimate and highest quality.

In the previous chapter in 1 Peter 4: 8 it says ‘love one another for love covers over a multitude of sins’. I think the key point is in the word ‘add’. We need to progress in our Christian faith and character. We need to observe ourselves and take note on how we’re doing in these different areas. Yes God is the one who makes the changes within us, but He does it with our co-operation and awareness.

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Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

These verses are a good encouragement for us to ask. We can’t just wait for a miracle to drop out of the sky, we have to show initiative and pursue it in faith. Faith is active and this is what attracts God’s attention, His favour and ultimately the release of His power.

It’s interesting to note that in the gospels, 99% of people who had their requests granted by Jesus were people that strongly pursued it. Ask, seek, knock, and remember God loves to give!

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1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

Humbling yourself under God’s hand has a lot to do with submitting yourself to God’s plan and will for your life, even when it appears very unspectacular! God will promote us but in His time, not ours.

Verse 7 is a wonderfully encouraging verse. Often I imagine my cares and worries as a heavy object and with my hands I lift them it up and release it to God. It’s my way of releasing it into God’s hands and demonstrating an active trust. He cares for us, which means He will work out what is best for us. We can rest secure in that knowledge.

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Matthew 6:25-27

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

Worry, the cousin of fear, and something that I’m sure we all battle with from time to time. I read somewhere that I think it was 90% of what we worry about never comes to pass, and around 5% of what we worry about is not something we would have any control over or power to change.

The bottom line is God loves us tremendously. We’re incredibly valuable to God and He is going to look after us. This verse is not a promise that we’ll never experience any lack in our life, otherwise why did Paul talk about how he had learned to be content in situations of plenty or want? I think the key point is that with God it’ll turn our all right, so let’s make the choice not to worry, and instead trust completely in a God that loves us so deeply. Think of all that energy you’ll save by not worrying!!

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1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9 NIV

This is a great verse to remember in the heat of the moment. It takes a lot of self-control to hold your tongue and not respond in like manner.

I like the way the living Bible puts it as well; ‘Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t snap back at those who say unkind things about you. Instead pray for God’s help for them, for we are to be kind to others and God will bless us for it.’

Don’t snap back – that’s the thing isn’t it! In fact not only that, but we are commanded to pray something good over their lives. Isn’t that typical of Jesus to take it one step further than what might be considered reasonable. It a real challenge to our ‘they don’t deserve it’ mentality. But if you think about it, we don’t deserve God’s grace either, so this way, we get to practice being like God. Cool ay!

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