Monday, October 9, 2023

            Not to be a downer but time is running out for all of us.  We have less time and life left today than yesterday.  There are the occasional days that we are happy to see come and go.  But most of us recognize just how precious time is and how quickly it passes.  We do not know when life will come to an end—it could end through death or by Jesus coming for His people.  We can trust God to be faithful with either outcome. But we do know that time will end.  We are not blessed with an unlimited portion of time on this side of eternity.  But eternity is eternity and that is a much different story. 
           In his own words, Peter offered some counsel for how to live or how to remain holy with the time that we possess.  Ephesians 5:16 teaches us to make the most of every opportunity—good days and challenging days.  And Peter helps us to know how to do that.  He wrote, “Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:17-21).  Peter gives us some practical wisdom to keep in mind as we live each day.
            First, we must recognize that we live for the Father’s glory.  He has given us life.  And we live in thankful and grateful ways.  We are here to serve Him.  He is our Master and Maker.  We did not come to exist by accidental or random means.  We were made by God in His image, by His hands, for His glory and to serve Him with gladness and devotion.  Suddenly, our time and days seem much more purposeful than just marking time or muddling through each day.  We can frame each day with the question “what would God like for me to do?”  The way you answer that question could be an indication for how you should spend your day.
            Second, we are to live in “reverent fear.”  God does see how we live.  We can recall in Matthew 26 that Jesus asked Peter, James and John to keep watch and pray while He was praying for the Father’s will to be done.  But when Jesus returned, He found His disciples asleep (not once but twice!).  What does the Lord’s watchful eye find you doing most days?  To live in “reverent fear” means we recognize that our days are not our own.  We have been given days to enjoy the Lord and to serve Him.  Christ changes everything.  And everything changes when it is entrusted to Christ.  Peter wrote that we are “foreigners.”  He was saying that this world is neither the end nor the peak of our lives.  We have our ultimate citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20).  And we are living to that end and anticipating it. 
            Third, Peter reminded us that we are not redeemed by material and perishable things.  The worth of our lives cannot be measured by what we have, hold or possess.  We are more than a collection of material things or some arbitrary net worth total.  The true measure of your life or mine is found in the means of our redemption—the precious and innocent blood of Christ alone.  He was “chosen” and died for “our sake.”  Our sins kept us separated and estranged from the Lord—unable to reach Him by good deeds or good works.  But the blood of Christ opened the way for us to know the Father, to come before Him and to fellowship with Him.  We can pray, worship and seek the Father because of the sacrifice of the Son.  To be redeemed means we were bought back or brought back from an empty way of life.  Christ gave His life for our lives.  He died so we could live.  He spared us from an empty and meaningless life separated from the Father forever. 
            Fourth, Peter reminds us to place our “faith and hope” in God.  We trust Him above ourselves and the things that we face.  We lean into Him and know that His arms are sufficiently strong to hold us and support us.  We live our days with faith in God to provide.  We live our days with the hope that something even greater is on the way when we spend eternity with Him.  We are raised from the dead through the power of Christ.  The resurrection of Jesus is our firm guarantee that we too will live again through our trust and faith in Him.  Life is often riddled with things that seek to rob us of our joy.  We can lose sight of God’s forever presence with us and His promise of a place to come that He has prepared for us and all of His people.  Situations can easily overwhelm us and frustrate us.  We can feel like we are powerless and rudderless.  But we can easily decide that our faith is in God and our hope is in what He has planned for us.  We can choose to make each day an offering to the Lord and to live it for His glory and purposes.  Have a great day!  Remember you can worship any time at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.