What Have We Learned?

As sobering reports continue to come of the massive loss of life and property in Haiti, we cannot help being affected. When we consider how suddenly everything about us can change, we realize our own vulnerability. But rather than being traumatized by this awareness, we should look inward and upward and ask the Lord what He would have us learn from this situation.
Peter’s epistle walks us through some thoughts which can help us clarify our thinking. He writes not of the destruction of one city, but the demolition of the entire heavens and earth, a thought almost beyond our comprehension. Then he asks a sobering question:
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? (2 Peter 3:11, NIV).
This is an elemental question we should be asking ourselves regularly, as it helps us keep our values in proper focus. Note the following inherent principles in his question.

The Present World is Temporal

Because we must live with the tangible realities of this present world, it is easy to become consumed by them. We need food to eat today, clothes to wear for warmth and propriety, and a bed to sleep in tonight. Because of these needs, we go to work, thus setting up a cycle of life that can become all-consuming.
But Peter wants us to keep in focus that one day this life will come to a screeching halt as suddenly as the Haitian earthquake. Even if we do not see the final end of all things, our own life and the things we accumulate are temporal. Keeping that thought in focus helps us hold the material world lightly.

Our Lives Reflect our Beliefs

Peter moves quickly from informing us of the ultimate end of things to discussing our response to this knowledge. What we believe does affect the way we live. If you look out the window and see sunshine, you hang your coat back in the closet. You respond to what you believe to be true. This principle can be applied to all our knowledge.
Peter answers his own question promptly, so we will get it right:

You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming (2 Peter 3:12, NIV)

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The terms holy and godly might elude us, but Peter further defines the lifestyle he wants for believers:

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him (2 Peter 3:14, NIV).

He summarizes his admonition with this statement:

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18, NIV).

Our Hope is in the Lord

Knowing that—as the old song went—“There’s a great day comin’,” helps us live our daily lives in a manner pleasing to God. While we make every effort to live godly lives while we are here, God’s grace and peace are with us. Even if everything around us seems to be shaking, we can live in that grace and peace today.

Points to Ponder

Am I availing myself of God’s grace and peace in my daily living? Am I growing in my knowledge of the Lord? Is the hope of living eternally a reality in my life?