Thought for 10 February 2025

 2 Peter 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief.  Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgement. 

I went into a nice shop last weekend and was enjoying browsing the various aisles to see if they had anything that I might want to buy.  On asking the assistant what time they closed, the answer I got back was quite short: ‘we will be closing in three minutes sir’.  The browsing experience was of necessity, cut short. 

There’s a lot of adverts selling things on Facebook which seem to provide excellent value for money and which, to all intents and purposes, look like bargains.  Invariably when you go into the advert a bit further, you are told that this offer will only be accessible for a limited time or that there is only a limited amount of the product available at the price being offered so if you want to buy it, you better be quick!  There’s offers like this coming up pretty much every single day, and even if they were all legitimate and genuine, you could end up spending more money than you can afford to buy things you don’t really need. 

In this book of 2 Peter, the chapter heading is ‘The Day of the Lord is Coming’.  Peter is writing to believers to remind them that Jesus will return some day.  Until that day, people will doubt this promise and say that it will never happen, but we know that all biblical prophecies will come to pass at a time determined by God and God alone.  In Mark 13:32-33, Jesus says; ‘No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.  Only the Father knows.  And since you don’t know when they will happen, stay alert and keep watch’. 

This is a serious offer that needs to be given our full attention.  It is a one-time offer that we won’t be able to re-visit when it comes round again because it will never come round again.  In the shop, I was given a three-minute warning that it was about to close.  When Jesus returns, there will be no warning, it will be happening when God decides.  For God’s people, they will be able to look forward to a new Heaven and a new Earth where they will be able to live in the eternal presence of a living and loving God, in a world ‘where everyone is right with God’. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, teach us to do your will and reflect your character while offering your grace to others. May the movements of our hearts, the thoughts of our minds, and the day-to-day actions of our lives be pleasing to you and reflect your holiness and grace. In Jesus' holy name we pray.   Amen.