OUR TEMPORARY HOME
2 Peter 3:10-13 NKJV
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Peter begins his closing remarks to the believers with a phrase that he used at the beginning of his letter (2 Peter 1:13). He said he was stirring them up by reminding them. That's an important thought when it comes to hearing messages. If you have already heard what is being taught, then it serves to remind you. And in reminding, it stirs us, showing we can get stagnant if we are not consistently hearing the right things.
In our verses for today, Peter speaks of the end of the age. He calls it the day of the Lord and the day of God. This is a totally different day than the rapture or the catching away of the church. I am making no plans to be here when the earth will melt, and the heavens will pass away. Peter does not give us a timeline or much detail as to when, only that it will catch the world by surprise.
However, Peter does give us instructions as to what we are to do. He does not advocate living in isolation and prepping for this day. But, since the earth will be dissolved, we ought to live in such a way that our conduct is separated to God and we are living for Him. In short, live holy, godly lives because this earth is a temporary place.
That's a unique perspective. This world is not going to last. So, instead of living as if this world is the end game, we live for God. It would be living with a renters' mentality. This is not meant to offend those who rent. Joy and I rented apartments and homes for years until we had our own place. When we bought our own home, we treated it differently. We never sunk much money into the apartments and homes we rented because they were not our permanent homes. Our renting was a temporary thing. But when we knew we had a permanent residence, we were willing to invest more.
Peter is, in a sense, encouraging this type of mentality. He is not saying we can't invest in the things of this life. He is saying that this life is not all there is. Think about it. A thousand years from now, is the new color on your walls going to make a difference? And if the Texans ever win a Super Bowl, are we really going to care?
Peter reminds us that one day there will be a new heavens and a new earth. An earth with no effects of the curse. An earth that is absent of Satan and his influence. It will be a wonderful place where righteousness dwells. God's right ways and things will be prevalent. That will be a wonderful day. The current heavens and earth will pass away, but we will not.
APPLICATION
Many of the old saints in years gone by had a strong view of the life that was to come. They lived for the next life, not so much for this one. As in all things, balance is a blessing. We need to keep one eye on the life to come and one eye on this life. We can't act as if our time here does not matter. There is an old adage that a person can be so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good. But neither do we want to be so focused on this life that we lose sight of eternity.
Here is a good prayer.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, please show me the right perspective of this life and its temporary nature. I want to make this life count for You with the next life in mind.