The country seems to be falling apart. What can we do right now in our messed up culture? These are some observations from I & II Peter:
- Focus, first and foremost, on our reward (I Pt 1.3-5).
- View hardship as a way to grow (1.6-9).
- Appreciate our grace, since it gives us sustained innocence in God’s eyes (1.10-12).
- When times get hard, put 100% of our hope in the second coming (1.13).
- We won’t get caught up in our worldly culture, but double down on being moral like Jesus (1.14-20).
- Put all of our confidence and hope in God (as opposed to people) (1.21).
- Practice genuine love for our Christian family (1.22-23).
- Keep the brevity of our lives in the forefront of our minds (1.24-25).
- Get rid of negative character attributes (2.1).
- Spend more time in Bible study (2.2-8).
- Remember that we’re a sovereign nation as God’s people (2.9-10).
- Set a good example, especially around worldly people (2.11-12).
- Submit to all governing authorities, both because it’s what God wants and because it reflects the church well (2.13-17).
- Go through difficulty with patience and grace (2.18-25).
- Husbands and wives can cultivate and strengthen their marriages (3.1-7).
- Make our church family our highest priority (3.8).
- Be good to people who mistreat us (3.9-13).
- Don’t stress about people who mistreat us because of our beliefs (3.14-22).
- Resist the temptation to fall back on sinful habits when difficulty happens (4.1-6).
- Remember that our lives are short (4.7).
- Love our Christian family, take care of them, and be unified in our relationship with God (4.8-11).
- Expect difficulty, and see it as suffering with Jesus (4.12-14).
- Trust God with our lives when things get difficult (4.15-19).
- Give our lives completely to God (5.6).
- Give all of our anxieties to God (5.7).
- Remember that Satan is our true enemy, and he wants us to mess up — don’t let him win (5.8-9).
- Remember that even worst-case scenarios are short-lived (5.10).
- Remember that apostles and prophets predicted that things would get rough toward the end (II Pt 3.1-4; cf II Thess 2.1-3; II Tim 3.1).
- Remember that God is fully in charge of Earth’s destiny (3.5-8).
- Remember that this Earth is temporary (3.10).
- Remember that God expects us to live as if tomorrow’s the end (3.11-12).
- Remember that we’re living for a new earth and sky (3.13, cf Rev 21.1-2; Is 65.17; Mt 19.28).
“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found without spot or imperfection, and at peace. And consider God’s patience to be salvation…” (3.14-15).
Gary Pollard