The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:10-16 (day two)

…but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. v. 16

When was the last time you were stopped in your tracks by something unexpected? There are times when we are so focused on ourselves, or the path that we believe to be right, that we miss the obvious warning signs of danger. In Balaam’s case it took a donkey speaking before he took notice of the angel in the road. We all make decisions based on what we think is best for us, for our families, for the church. How often are we challenging our own convictions against the Word? If we don’t have a constant connection to the Lord, we will go off course. That is inevitable, but we don’t have to stay there. Don’t be afraid to course correct. Don’t be afraid to go against the flow. Don’t be afraid to listen to the voice of the Lord in unexpected places.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day seven)

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment. vs 4

One of the illustrations I have been using with our youth recently is “Play Doh Jesus.” Why do kids (and let’s be honest, adults) like play doh so much? It is because we have control to make the object look the way we want it. There are many people in modern society that like Jesus because what they are following is not the Jesus of the Bible. It is a Jesus that they have molded to be someone they are comfortable with.

“My Jesus cares about the things I care about.”

“My Jesus would be in my political party.”

“My Jesus doesn’t judge me for my actions.”

They like this Jesus so much more because it feels like they are in control instead of Jesus being in control. They have created an idol out of play doh instead of allowing the Creator to mold them into what He wants them to be.

Jesus wants you to care about what He cares about.

Jesus wants you to be Kingdom minded.

Jesus is The Judge.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day six)

Faithfulness doesn’t always look exciting. Sometimes it looks like simply staying put, holding fast to what’s true when the world is chasing what’s next.

Peter knew that false teachers, who doubted Jesus’ return and future judgment, were promising something new, something more appealing than the message of the gospel. But the truth about Jesus doesn’t need to evolve or be improved. It’s not a trend to update; it’s a reality to live into.

Peter reminds these young, fragile churches that faith isn’t about chasing new ideas; it’s about clinging to what is real. “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,” he says (2 Peter 2:9). God has not changed. His truth has not shifted. And His promises remain secure.

In a world obsessed with progress and novelty, maybe one of the most radical things we can do is to stay put – to remain rooted in the truth that Jesus is Lord, the gospel is enough, and God’s Word still leads us home.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day five)

Last week I had the pleasure to travel with a group from our church to Washington DC and Lancaster, Pa. One of the highlights of our trip, was to see the production of “Noah” at Sight and Sound Theater. It was visually stunning. It was theologically accurate. The main theme which was said and sung throughout the production was, “God keeps His promises.”  As persecution and temptation came, Noah would constantly remind himself, his family, and those around him of this truth. Perhaps today (in a broken world often hostile to the things of God) you might just need to hear the Spirit whisper, “God keeps His Promises.”  Our task is to find His promises in the scriptures and to remember them in our times of trial and temptation. “He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” 2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬

So, here’s a promise to remember today- “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” John‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬-‭28‬

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day four)

Peter is writing what are likely some of his last words from prison before his death. When you’re near death, you focus on communicating what is most important, not mere opinions or fantastical possibilities. Peter writes about the judgement and justice of God, and he describes it as both a fact and a promise. Paul writes in a similar way just before his death in 2 Timothy 4:1, and he invokes the judgement and justice of God when encouraging Timothy to be faithful to his ministry.

I don’t think they write in this way because their impending death is making them vengeful, but because they know more than anyone that they are sinners who deserve God’s wrath, but through Christ they have received mercy. Their walk with Christ has made them more aware of the magnitude of God’s love and sacrifice that covers their sin, making them recipients of grace rather than the judgement they deserve.

Peter makes it clear: God is a God of justice, and it is only through Christ’s mercy that we have cause to celebrate this.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day three)

if he rescued…then the Lord knows how to rescue…

Peter references the reporting of God’s actions in scripture in order to provide a basis for his claim of God’s continued historical action. Peter’s argument would not have had much strength if he had said, “If a team of elite troops sworn to protect their people knows how to rescue them from an enemy, then God knows how to rescue people from temptation.” A team of special military operatives comes nowhere near God’s faithfulness and abilities. God can only be compared to God. Of course, if one doesn’t believe that God exists, then the point is moot. In such a case, one has nothing to appeal to for ultimate power and goodness and hope other than the created order. If that’s all there is, then no higher purpose exists. Humanity needs more.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day two) 

…but preserved Noah…v. 5b; and if He rescued righteous Lot…v. 7a 

These verses are double-edged. We retell and rejoice in the stories of Noah and Lot. God preserved his people through their lives and through their faithfulness. Aren’t you grateful for their examples of faithful living? The other side of the coin is the very real and hard circumstances in which they were living. The world was hostile towards the things of the Lord. Everywhere around these men were sin and temptations to fall into darkness. This was by no means an easy journey for them. While we tell the stories of God’s deliverance, we do well to not sugarcoat the struggle they faced around them. To do so is to minimize God’s powerful ability to deliver his people even in the most dire circumstances. He will preserve, he will rescue, don’t give up.