A Note from the Apostle Peter

 A note from the Apostle Peter

The apostle Peter states,

"But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.  2 Peter 3:13,14.

Are you doing your best to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with God?

Someone has said Christianity is a religion of rules. Of do’s and do nots. Rules that are hard to follow.

While it is true we are called to live a good moral life. Any rules Christians have to follow are no more constraining than following the rules of a given sport.

In order for the sport to be fair and safe for all. One must follow the rules. Something sportsmen and women do without even thinking. They just come naturally to them.

For Christians it’s the same. God has set before us a set of moral and ethical rules that if followed will lead to a good life. Such rules become natural to follow for those who read the Bible and interact with other Christians.

Peter knew that we don’t always follow Gods rules correctly. That we sometimes fall short of what God wants to be. And God knows this also.

That’s why Peter said “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with God”

And for those times we fall. The times we sin we can go to God in prayer and ask forgiveness. The apostle John writing, 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9.

So if you consider yourself a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus, are you doing your best to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with God?

Please think about it.

Spotless

  Spotless

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.  2 Peter 3:13,14.

This is a call by the apostle Peter to all who believe in Christ Jesus. When Christ returns we need to do all that is humanly possible to “be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with God”

So here is my question to you. If you believe in Christ Jesus, were He to return today would He find you spotless, blameless and at peace with God?

Please think about it.

At peace with God

At Peace with God
The Apostle Peter writes,
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. 
   That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”  2 Peter 3:14.
Are you living a holy and godly life?
Are you at peace with God?
I ask this because the fact of the matter is no one knows when they will be called to stand before God.
A few years ago now my wife’s younger sister died of cancer. She had been the wild one of the family. She frankly had made quite a lot of family members and other people upset at her.
However a few years before she knew she had cancer she accepted Christ as her Saviour. It made a big change in her life. A change people could see without her telling them. She was literally a new person.
A week before her death my wife and I went to visit her. I had never seen a person so at peace ever. She told me she had nothing to fear. That she had confessed her sins to God and was at peace with God. A week later she passed into his presence.
Never had I been so sure of where a person was spending eternity as I was that day.
Thus my question to you the reader.
If you were die today and stand before God. Would you be at peace with God?
Please think about it.

Christian Principles for Living #5 (At Peace with God)

Christian Principles for Living #5 (At Peace with God)
The apostle Peter writing to Christians reminds believers that Jesus will one day return and this earth will pass away. That He will come quickly when we are least expecting it. Therefor we need to be at peace with God. Peter writes,
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
    That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.  2 Peter 3:10-14.
As believers we many times fall short of what God wants for our lives. It is however incumbent upon us as soon as we realize we have made a mistake to ask God’s forgiveness.
As believers we truly need to look at our lives from time to time and ask ourselves am I truly living a life that is glorifying God?
Am I truly at peace with God?
Please think about it.

Spotless, Blameless, at Peace with God

Spotless, Blameless, at Peace with God,

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.’  2 Peter 3:10-14.
Here is a simple message to all Christians. Peter tells us that the world we know will one day disappear and a new heaven and a new earth “the home of righteousness” will take its place.
His admonition to Christians “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him”, Him being Christ.
The Writer of Hebrews tells Christians,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.
Thus the question is, if you consider yourself a Christian are you doing your best to live up to this ideal?
Take a few minutes to pray and ask God to show you your life and lifestyle. Ask God to show you any shortcomings you have and how you can correct them.
Ask God to show you how to live a holy life at peace with all men.
Please think about it.

Blameless

Blameless among

“The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  
The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.  
So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”  
But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD. 
This is the account of Noah. 
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” 
                                                                                                                                     Genesis 6:5-9
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Could God say this about you?
Noah judging by the account lived in a world of incredible sin. So much so God decided to wipe it out. Such a world may have been far worse than today. Yet Noah scripture tells us, walked with God.
Someone once told me our world is no different from the time of Abraham, Moses, David or any other society that has ever existed. There was sin all around. The only difference is sin is delivered to us in a high tech way.
Today in the twenty-first century we live in a world surrounded by sin. Not only that, but thanks to technology it comes directly into our homes.
As a result we need to turn to the Lord each and every day. To read the scriptures meditate on them. To spend as much time as we can in prayer.
We need to encourage our fellow believers in Christ to lift them up in prayer also.
We need to be aware of any sins we commit and turn to God and confess them as soon as we realize we’ve done them.
Christians do sin, we are not perfect. Just progressing.
John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9,10.
A pastor once told me that at the very least each night we should spend twenty minutes or half an hour alone with God. Asking him to search our hearts and show us where we have fallen short and where we could have done better.
At the same time we should be praising and thanking God for all he has done for us.
Scripture tells us Noah walked with God. This is what we should be doing.
We should be talking to God throughout the day also. Praising him and asking for his wisdom in all that we do.
Think about it.