<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless\u201d (2 Peter 3:14).<\/p>\n
HAVING PORTRAYED THE EVENTS OF THE DAY OF THE LORD VIVIDLY, PETER URGED HIS READERS TO KEEP THEMSELVES READY FOR ITS COMING. The word \u201ctherefore\u201d is followed by the command \u201cbe diligent,\u201d and Peter\u2019s point is hard to miss: knowing that Christ will bring this world to an end, we ought to prepare ourselves for that day with an effort that is earnest and persistent.<\/p>\n
Notice first that Peter says his readers were \u201clooking forward to these things.\u201d In the previous verses, he had spoken of the end of the present world and the beginning of a \u201cnew heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.\u201d These tremendous events are things that Christians think about with great passion. We anticipate them and desire them. We look forward to them.<\/p>\n
Since that is so, we ought to \u201cbe diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.\u201d Being \u201cfound\u201d emphasizes the unexpectedness of Christ\u2019s coming. When He comes, we will be found, or discovered, in the act of living some kind of life or another. For us, heaven depends on whether it\u2019s a faithful<\/em> life the Lord finds us living. Similarly, Paul said it was \u201cin Him\u201d that he wanted to be found: \u201cYet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . . that I may gain Christ and be found in Him\u201d (Philippians 3:8,9). Our aim, then, is to be caught in the act of being faithful to the Lord.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fine thing to be waiting for the Lord, and every Christian ought to have that mindset. But there is another word we often couple with \u201cwaiting,\u201d and that is the word \u201cready.\u201d Ready and waiting.<\/em> It takes both of these words to capture the Christian\u2019s attitude toward the Lord\u2019s return. As Paul wrote, \u201cBut you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief\u201d (1 Thessalonians 5:4). Ready and waiting.<\/em> That is the key.<\/p>\n In other words, our attitude needs to include a healthy blend of two priorities. We need, on the one hand, to throw ourselves eagerly into today\u2019s work. And also, we need to look forward with eager excitement to the day when the Lord will say, \u201cWell done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the great lessons the fall of the leaf teaches is this: Do your work well and then be ready to depart when God shall call\u201d (Tryon Edwards).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n