Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

Sally, doing guard duty from the dining room chair! Her instinct tells her to warn the neighborhood when the UPS truck arrives.  Scripture: 2Pet. 2:10b Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgment from the Lord. 12 These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed,   Observation: Peter begins with a description of those who despise authority. These are the ones who are bold, or daring — having no concern for the consequences of their actions, either for themselves or for others. At the same time they are willful, or arrogant — so obsessed with what they want for themselves that absolutely nothing else, and no one else is taken into consideration. They are willing to be critical and sla...

Sometimes the boundaries have to be  pretty concrete! Scripture: 2Pet. 2:4   For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; 6 and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment 10 —especially those who indulge their flesh in depra...

Scripture: 2Pet. 2:1   But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. Observation: Peter was gravely concerned about false teachers who were influencing these new believers. Some of them were arising from within the group and were bringing with them secret opinions that would prove to be destructive to the community of faith. Ultimately, these false teachers will have a hard time recognizing Jesus for who he really is and will try to make excuses. This will lead to their own demise because you cannot prea...

Just as a loving grandfather cares about the little details of life, so our heavenly Father cares about us.  Scripture: 2Pet. 1:16   For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. 2Pet. 1:19   So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by...

Scripture: 2Pet. 1:12   Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, 14 since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. Observation: We see here the value and importance of this apostolic teaching. Peter’s personal appeal is for those who read his words to make the connection that he was an eye-witness to the life of Christ. Yes, he had already taught them these truths but he wanted to reiterate them so that they would not forget the truth about Jesus. His plan is to personally share his story again and again until the time of his death.   Peter seemed to be aware, through Christ, of his impending demise, and therefore there is a sense of ...

For his 60th birthday a 'friend' gave my husband these glasses to test out what vision is like the more we age.  Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. Observation: This section is filled with ...

My dad behind the wheel of a classic car -- that  he could not drive. But he did look good!  Scripture: 2Pet. 1:3   His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature.   Observation: These two verses are the divine engine of the Christian life. This is the secret to the power necessary to live the for the Lord. It is Jesus’ divine power in us, that provides everything necessary for us to live the holy life. That holy life means that we can live like Christ — and this, through divine knowledge of him. This isn’t because we study books, but because we are invited into an intimate relationship with the Triune God through Jesus’ own glory and goodn...

Scripture: 2Pet. 1:1   Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,    To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2Pet. 1:2   May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Observation: This is the second letter that claims to be written by Peter. One commentator said it’s the most neglected book of the New Testament. It’s very different from First Peter, and does not identify the geography of his audience. In this letter the name Simeon is used, which is the actual way that his name would have been pronounced when he was growing up back in the Galilee. It was not uncommon to identify oneself by their Hebrew and Greek name, and sometimes even the Aramaic version. He also identifies himself as a servant and apostle of Jesus — the Messiah.   What Peter does tell us about his audience is that have received the faith, and this is a ...