Daily Scripture Reading 2Peter 3:1-18
Humans live around 70 years. Therefore, we think a decade is a long time because it is over 10 percent of our life. Even one year is at least one percent of our life. Consequently, if God does not answer a prayer request in a year or a decade, we think God is taking forever to answer our prayer. After a decade we tend to give up on our request and assume God will never answer our prayer.
In the third chapter of 2Peter, Peter made a statement about God which in some ways is obvious, and yet it is astounding. The statement has to do with God’s perspective on time. Since God lives forever while humans live less than 100 years, God looks at time very differently than people. Therefore, we should have a different attitude about God’s timetable for answering our prayers.
In chapter 2 Peter warned us about false teachers. False teachers use sensuality to secretly deceive people into accepting bad doctrine. The good news is that God is able to rescue righteous people from false teachers just as He rescued Noah and Lot from sensuality in the Old Testament time period.
2Pet. 3:1 ¶ This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2Pet. 3:2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles,
2Pet. 3:3 knowing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
2Pet. 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
Look at the word “mockers” in verse 3. Verse 4 defines the mockery. In the last days there will be mockers who mock Christianity because the New Testament promises that Jesus will come back have not yet been fulfilled.
Today, we live 2,000 years after the New Testament was written. After waiting so long for Him to return, it is easy to fall prey to the mentality that Jesus will never come back.
2Pet. 3:5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
2Pet. 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being deluged with water.
2Pet. 3:7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2Pet. 3:8 ¶ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
Peter wrote this statement to help us put the return of Christ into perspective; however, this is a fact about God that we can apply to all of life. When we pray for something for decades and our request is not answered, we think God is taking forever to answer our request. However, several decades are a blink of the eye to God.
Likewise, if we ask God to do something and He has not answered our request in one year, we are tempted to give up on our request, but one year is nothing in God’s eyes.
The point is we should be patient with God. His concept of time is very different than our concept of time.
2Pet. 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
2Pet. 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be found out.
Take note of the phrase “come like a thief”. A thief comes unexpectedly. Thieves strike without warning. Likewise, Jesus will come without warning.
2Pet. 3:11 ¶ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
This verse asks how we should live in light of the fact that heaven and earth will be destroyed. All the things we accumulate on earth will be worthless in eternity; therefore, our priorities and values on earth should be focused on things that have eternal value.
2Pet. 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens burning will be destroyed, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
2Pet. 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH, in which righteousness dwells.
2Pet. 3:14 ¶ Therefore, beloved, since you are looking for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
Ponder the concept of “diligent”. Diligent implies intentionality and focus. Christians should be focused on being spotless and blameless.
2Pet. 3:15 and consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
Notice the name Paul. Peter mentioned the fact that Paul wrote letters.
2Pet. 3:16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Some of Paul’s writings are hard to understand. We see that whenever we read his letters.
Don’t miss the significance of the phrase “rest of the Scriptures”. Peter acknowledged that the writings of Paul are scripture.
2Pet. 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest you, having been carried away by the error of unprincipled men, fall from your own steadfastness,
Pay attention to the command to “be on your guard”. In this letter Peter warned about false teachers. We need to be on guard against them.
2Pet. 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Give some thought to the command to “grow”. As Christians we should not be static. We should not be content with our current level of grace and knowledge. Our knowledge should continually increase.
Humans think 1 year or 1 decade is a long time because our lifespan here on earth is less than 100 years. However, God lives forever, so 1,000 years is like a day to Him. Therefore, when He takes a decade or more to answer our prayer, He is not being slow. He simply operates on a different timetable than we do.
What is a prayer request that you have been praying for many years, if not decades?
Are you tempted to give up?
How should you change your outlook on your prayer requests in light of the fact that God has a very different perspective on time?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”