The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day seven)

be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. vs 17

Will it float? The question we will not forget from this series. Thank you Pastor Jimmy for bringing an illustration that challenges even us adults to test everything we hear against the word of God. Just like the world that Peter was living in when he wrote this letter, we are in a battle against false teachers and false doctrines. Our world is at a severe risk due to the platform that has been created for these doctrines to perpetuate (i.e. the internet/social media). That is why it is of the utmost importance to test everything we hear against the Word of God.  Also, test it against church history. Has it been taught faithfully in the church over time? There is no such thing as new doctrine. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He may reveal new insights to us. His mercies are new every morning, but His nature will never change.

How have you been encouraged by this series?

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day six)

When Peter tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18), he’s inviting us to practice good theology, not as academics, but as disciples who want to know God truly. The reality is, we’re all doing theology all the time. Every prayer we pray, every worship song we sing, every moment we try to make sense of life through Scripture, we’re already thinking and speaking about God. That’s theology.

Some say, “Don’t give me theology, just give me Jesus.” But the moment we open the Bible and describe who Jesus is, we’re doing theology. The real question isn’t whether we do theology, but whether we do it well. Doing good theology is more than the accumulation of knowledge; it shapes how we live in the world.

As Basil the Great said, “True theology isn’t curiosity; it’s devotion in the service of God.” (4th century)

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day five)

Pastor Peter’s final instruction and encouragement to these believers is one word- grow. “Make progress.” “Get forward.” “Become more and more like Jesus.” In a microwave and air fryer culture where we demand results in seconds or minutes, this is not the picture. It’s more like a smoker- taking hours upon hours to produce a finished product. “Low and slow” is the mantra for most who cook this way. So, how do you know when growth is happening?  With a smoker you use an internal temperature probe (see the temp increasing). How do you measure christian growth? Let me suggest like a smoker, mostly it happens slowly and internally. There are two primary probes- scripture (Hebrews 4:12) and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). But like a smoker there is  visible tangible evidence. Miguel Nunez offers the following questions to help discern and reveal growth:  Am I growing in my ability to love others? How much joy do I experience in my daily life? Is inner peace something I experience? How much have I grown in patience toward others and, especially, toward those who have sinned against me? How gentle or kind have I been today in dealing with others? Have I grown in humility or meekness? How often do I look at others and think they are proud? How am I doing with self control? Am I in control of my sinful impulses? How well am I controlling my anger? How do I speak to others?

“Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day four)

When some consider the end of the world, or the end of this present life as we know it, it causes them to want to live wildly, with reckless abandon. The thought is, “if this is all going away, let’s live it up while we can.” They figure if it’s all going to end anyway, there isn’t a long-term consequence to their choices now. We who belong to Christ, though, view things differently. When we consider the end of things as we know them now, we celebrate because a better thing is coming in its place. The perfected, redeemed, all-things-made-right heaven and earth is what we look forward to. So we don’t live as though there is no consequence; rather, we prepare for the greater things to come. We prepare like a bride for her groom. We prepare for the wedding feast of the Lamb. Our preparation comes through growing in holiness, gentleness, love, and mercy. Prepare well.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day three)

…the untaught and unstable distort [St. Paul’s letters], as they do also the rest of the scriptures, to their own destruction.

Knowing a lot of Bible, memorizing large sections of Scripture, studying immense swaths of holy writ – this is all well and good, even desirable, but it does not follow that those with the most well-worn Bibles or oft-visited Bible passage websites will live the most saint-like lives. A Sunday school teacher can be a bully; a child in Vacation Bible School who knows only  “Jesus went about doing good” can be a lighthouse to the lost. There is a difference between a life padded by scripture and a life formed by scripture.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day two) 

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless…v. 14

In last week’s reading we were reminded that if we perceive God as slow, it is because he desires all to come to repentance. Peter goes on in our reading this week to warn that there will be an end to his long-suffering patience. There will be a time when the waiting is over, and a reckoning will be required. Peter isn’t saying this to scare people into salvation, but rather to sharpen and refine how we live in the now. Too often we put off spiritual conversations. We think we have time to share with a friend or family member about Jesus’ love. If we have an anticipation for his return, we should take the opportunities given to us to love, serve, and share Jesus’ love. Don’t miss an opportunity.