Living Well While Waiting

Scripture:

2 Peter 3:14-18

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Observation:

Peter is talking about the second coming of Christ. The believers of the first century were awaiting the Messiah’s return, but Peter had reminded them that God’s time was much different than ours. A day could be many years, and many years, like a day. That’s why Peter emphasized the need to live well in the intervening years. 

No matter the condition of this world, we are to live at peace, and are to live lives of holiness, following the pattern of Christ. In the midst of this we experience the grace of God, patient with us, not wanting us to miss out on what he has in store for us. 

Paul is acknowledged here by Peter. This is a man who has lived well and is now approved by God and the apostles. Paul was the deeper thinker, he was the more educated of the apostles and his writings may have caused consternation among some, but Peter affirms Paul’s writings as scripture. 

Spiritual growth is a requirement for the people of God. To live well means to grow in grace, and also in knowledge so that God will be glorified in the already, and the not yet of the kingdom of God. 

Application:

Waiting patiently is not one of my virtues. I love to see the results and finish things up quickly, and that’s where this message from Peter begins to strike at the heart of the matter. We are on this journey for the long-haul, and we must live it out well, day by day, even in the midst of the ordinary moments of life. 

I have to confess that my thoughts are quite consumed with my mother lately. Much of my time has been taken up with juggling family and work matters, and spending many hours on airplanes. Even these devotional posts have been sparse as I’ve been doing all I can to keep up with life. 

Today my mother is in the waning weeks or days of life. She is ninety-five years of age, and she has lived well in the waiting. Over and over again, I discover that her life brings to mind what it means to live the holy life in the ordinary. Everything that she did, whether cooking, or cleaning, or teaching Sunday School, or caring for neighbors, was done with a grace-filled heart of service to God. Her prayer is that one morning soon she will wake up in heaven, face to face with her Lord, and that God will be glorified. 

We are all in a season of waiting. We may be waiting to finish school, or to have that new baby arrive, or move onto a new position, or for something to happen in the life of the church. It’s in this season of waiting that we must continue to live well, with patience and in the grace of God. 

Let’s try to slow down in this advent season, take a deep breath, and live an ordinary life that brings glory to God. 

Prayer:

Lord, may your grace and presence overflow and fill my mom’s room today. Thank you for giving me a mother who has been an example of living well while waiting. Amen.