Word@Work 2Pet32 - 2 Peter 3:17
Published: Tue, 09/22/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
ON GUARD
2 Peter 3:17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. (NIV)
Peter really cared about the new believers; especially those who would face persecution. His final words of this letter sum up the reason for writing. He is not just a theorist because he is just about to face his own death as a martyr: so his shows the genuine affection in his heart for his readers, by calling them, "dear friends". He is not writing as a fierce schoolteacher but as a brother in Christ. And he is not presuming them to be ignorant, because they already know what he is writing about; but he knows how readily we all forget. So he reminds them (cf 2 Peter 3:1-2) to think 'wholesomely' - to see their sufferings in the perspective of the second coming of Jesus.
When hard times come, it is easy to be taken 'off guard' and to react according to our fleshly instincts. Without regular reminders about how our uncertain lives fit into the certainty of God's purposes for the world and eternity, we can become seduced by false teaching. The Evil One, and his accomplices, have no greater pleasure than to dislodge us from the confidence that we are secure in Christ. Therefore Peter's reminders of the truths we should already know are intended to alert us; to wake us up to the reality that we live in a world where we are at serious risk of being dragged away from trusting in Jesus alone.
That is part of the purpose of Word@Work. To help you to remember who you are - a child of God, saved through the death of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit - wherever you are, at home or work or church. When a crisis comes, we are inclined to grab the nearest 'fix' we can think of ... and if false teaching is around, that may seem to offer a very convenient way out of the problem. However, stand firm on the truth of God's Word, and be on your guard (expect that you may be caught off-guard) so that you do not get swept away from the security which is yours in Christ.
Prayer: Gracious God. Thank you for understanding my human frailty and taking the trouble to remind me about truths which I may have learnt ages ago, but so easily forget. Help me to be ready and on guard to meet the challenges to my faith and confidence in the uncertainty of my daily life. May I never move from the sure ground of Your Word, nor allow myself to be enticed by false teaching, however attractive it might be. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Peter really cared about the new believers; especially those who would face persecution. His final words of this letter sum up the reason for writing. He is not just a theorist because he is just about to face his own death as a martyr: so his shows the genuine affection in his heart for his readers, by calling them, "dear friends". He is not writing as a fierce schoolteacher but as a brother in Christ. And he is not presuming them to be ignorant, because they already know what he is writing about; but he knows how readily we all forget. So he reminds them (cf 2 Peter 3:1-2) to think 'wholesomely' - to see their sufferings in the perspective of the second coming of Jesus.
When hard times come, it is easy to be taken 'off guard' and to react according to our fleshly instincts. Without regular reminders about how our uncertain lives fit into the certainty of God's purposes for the world and eternity, we can become seduced by false teaching. The Evil One, and his accomplices, have no greater pleasure than to dislodge us from the confidence that we are secure in Christ. Therefore Peter's reminders of the truths we should already know are intended to alert us; to wake us up to the reality that we live in a world where we are at serious risk of being dragged away from trusting in Jesus alone.
That is part of the purpose of Word@Work. To help you to remember who you are - a child of God, saved through the death of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit - wherever you are, at home or work or church. When a crisis comes, we are inclined to grab the nearest 'fix' we can think of ... and if false teaching is around, that may seem to offer a very convenient way out of the problem. However, stand firm on the truth of God's Word, and be on your guard (expect that you may be caught off-guard) so that you do not get swept away from the security which is yours in Christ.
Prayer: Gracious God. Thank you for understanding my human frailty and taking the trouble to remind me about truths which I may have learnt ages ago, but so easily forget. Help me to be ready and on guard to meet the challenges to my faith and confidence in the uncertainty of my daily life. May I never move from the sure ground of Your Word, nor allow myself to be enticed by false teaching, however attractive it might be. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
On Thursday we will start a new series on Philippians ... all the 'back copies' of Mark, Ephesians, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter are available at www.beaconlight.co.uk/email
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