Monday, December 12, 2022

           In 2 Peter 3, the disciple wrote about God’s way of measuring time.  We do not possess God’s perspective on time.  Past, present and future are all the same to the Lord and plainly in view before Him.  While we cannot see the future, we also do not possess a perfect recall of the past or a perfect perspective on the present.  Rather than the ticking away of seconds, minutes or hours, God tends to see time from the perspective of accomplishing His purposes and divine will.  Time is not something that God charts or counts.  It is the environment where He does His work.  We read in 2 Peter 3:8-9, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  Two important perspectives stand out for us to see in Peter’s words.
            The first perspective is God’s purposes.  God is at work to bring forgiveness, salvation and reconciliation to the world.  Indeed, Christmas is the story of God’s redemptive work.  He sent forth His Son to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.  He sent His Son to pay a horrible penalty for the sins we have committed.  God’s purpose is salvation—every day, all day, any day.  Through the Son, the Father has ransomed us from Satan’s captivity and clutch.  We are no longer under the dominion of the evil one.  We have been saved by the work of Christ at the cross—saved by grace through faith.  God sees time as the forum for fulfilling His purposes.  Think of it in this way—God worked in the past at the cross: He convicts us of our need for a Savior in the present and He will welcome us into His heaven in the future.  The past work of Jesus at the cross still applies to sin and sinners today.  And what happens today impacts our eternal destiny.  Again, time is the forum or the arena for the work of God to unfold.
            The second perspective is patience.  God is calling people to Him.  His patience keeps people from perishing here and now.  God is not slow.  He is never late in doing His work.  But He is patient.  He operates by His standards and not the expectations of the world.  God is not late in answering prayers. He does not procrastinate like we might be tempted to do.  Because past, present and future are all plainly visible to God at the same time, He is able to craft the perfect answer to any prayer and the perfect response to any battle or challenge we face in life.  God does not act impulsively or reflexively.  He is not in reaction or response mode.  He does not have to adjust and react to headwinds or circumstances.  It stands to reason that we should place our faith in the One who shapes history rather than simply watching it happen. 
            Scripture says that God sent forth His Son in the fullness of time.  That is to say, the Father chose the right time to bless Bethlehem with the birth of His Son and the whole world through His Son’s life, death and resurrection.  We can wake up each day and patiently acknowledge that we already have all that we need to live through this new day.  We can patiently navigate through the channels and corridors of the day as we meet them because we know God’s purposes will provide all the light and grace we could possibly need.  Give thanks today that God acts with purpose and patience.  Long ago, the purposes of God led to an out-of-the-way-town called Bethlehem with His Son entering the world at just the right time.  And now, with patience and grace, God is still at work redeeming and reconciling all who believe in Him and look to Him in faith and trust.  Have a great Monday.  Remember you can worship anytime at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.