Where The Holy Journey Leads

Scripture

2Pet. 3:11   Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness,

Observation

Recognizing the temporal nature of this life the readers are exhorted to focus on that which is important — “leading lives of holiness and godliness.” Reading before and after this text we realize that focusing too much on the creation account or the return of Christ is not the intention of the life of a believer. Instead we are to be united in holy relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, participating in godliness resulting in a life of holiness. Wesley encourages us to become persons engaged in “holy conversation — with men. And godliness — Toward your Creator.”

This scripture leads us to a type of challenge — questioning whether we might be prepared for the amazing scenes that God has prepared for us, should they actually burst in on us in this lifetime. There is something more for which we are living than that which we can see with our human eye. This becomes increasingly visible as we lead lives of holiness.

Application

We are called to join those who have gone before us on the highway of holiness. The road has a destination — Jesus Christ! Our focus, day in and day out is to be on him — our beloved who is awaiting us.

In the early years of Christianity there were enormous distractions. The secular or pagan world was full of its own religious imagery and was constantly pressuring the beliefs of those new Christ followers. Christians were an oddity who found themselves being persecuted for their faith. The secular world loved lengthy arguments and debates. Often these were held simply for the benefit of entertainment and so in the middle of it all were these simple Christ-followers, living in a new kingdom that the world could not see.

We are citizens of that same kingdom but the secularization of our world is also pressuring us to come out and join the arguments and debates. All these things will dissolve away! The charge in this scripture was not just for those believers 2000 years ago, but to us today. Keep the main thing the main thing! We are to be people who are genuinely transformed by our participation in the holy relationship found in God. We are to become travelers on the holy journey who are no longer distracted by the things of this world. The holy journey will lead us to a simple manger where we will discover a loving and humble Savior, reaching out to a dying world in holy love.

Prayer
Lord, please continue to lead me on this journey today.  Amen.