righteousness | Be Still...

2 Peter 3:8-13 – God’s Timing

Read 2 Peter 3:8-13

Have you ever heard someone say, “God’s timing is perfect”? I did, just today. It’s a phrase we like to use when God seems slow in answering our prayers. Peter calls out that big old elephant in the room for us. He starts out by explaining that God’s clock works differently than ours. “A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.”

Is that a helpful reminder for you? Are you waiting on God for something big in your life to happen? It seems like we are always waiting for something, whether it’s a job promotion, finding the right house to move into, getting pregnant, getting married, being able to retire and start living life the way you want. What is it for you? When we welcome God and expect him to move in these life events, we can trust he is working out the “best” solution for us. Could that be why one of the gifts of the spirit is “patience”? We must continue to wait.

2 Peter 2:4-10 – Who God Spares

Read 2 Peter 2:4-10

This text clearly warns about the judgment in store for those false teachers Peter spoke of in our last reading. If God doesn’t spare the angels, you can bet he’s not going to spare the false teachers. Those folks who try so hard to lead us astray and confuse us with worldly values are being likened to the corrupt people of Noah’s day and the immoral people that surrounded Lot. God will judge sin, and the unrepentant sinner cannot escape.

God loves us all, but he spares only the righteous. Peter gives us examples that illustrate how God has dealt with the ungodly in the past. Amidst the destruction, God has always spared those who stay true to him, like Noah and Lot. God knows the heart of his people. These men were not sinless, but they put their trust in God.

1 Peter 4:1-6 – When Suffering is Better

Read 1 Peter 4:1-6

None of us looks forward to suffering. However, when we suffer on account of our faith in Christ, it is so much better than the alternative of being lost in our sin. Our suffering will not last forever, but our future with Christ never ends. If we chose to stay stuck in our sin, carousing with our friends like we used to, we would miss out on the great inheritance Jesus is preparing for us.

When we live for God, Peter tells us we’ll need to expect suffering, just like Jesus did. This isn’t the only passage in the Bible that warns us about suffering and staying strong. I appreciate that we are told up front what to expect. Nobody can claim to be surprised when we encounter suffering.

Amos 5:21-24 💗 Don’t Miss What’s Important

Read Amos 5:21-24

blue circle with a white dove sitting on a white judges gavel

Amos’ words to the people came after he had called them to repent. God had given Amos a vision of what was going to happen to the nation of Israel. This section is warning them of the coming judgment. Now, it speaks wisdom to us to as our new theme is “Living as God Desires.”

What speaks to you in today’s reading? While we’re not using burnt offerings and sacrifices much these days, there are plenty of examples of putting on a show with our worship. Anything from fog machines to high church ritualistic dirges can cloud our true allegiance.

December 3 🌟 Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 33:14-16)

Read Jeremiah 33:14-16

Heart made up of words used over and over "Christ is Your Righteousness"

Righteousness is one of those “churchy” words that might seem off-putting if you’re not familiar with the simple beauty. When I see that word, “righteousness,” I immediately translate it in my head to be–“right with God.” But the meaning is so much deeper and richer than that.

For me, I prefer to be on God’s “good side.” I’d be deceiving myself if I thought I was able to do it all on my own. That’s what makes righteousness, in this context, to be such a gift. God gave us Jesus to make us right with God.