“Now, don’t forget….” How many times have you heard that? Our lives are full of responsibilities, big and small. Our brains are stuffed with things we must recall – get the oil changed in the car, pick up shirts at the laundry, send a note of thanks, pay the water bill, get a card for Smitty’s retirement party, make an appointment with the dentist … it is a seemingly endless list. There are so many things to remember that we need reminders, don’t we? Some people make lists. I use Outlook, a computer program, that helps me remember dates, deadlines, birthdays, and events!
In the Scripture, Peter says, “Now, don’t forget the most important thing.” In the 3rd chapter of his 2nd letter, he tells us to always keep the promise of the Coming of the Lord in mind.
"You must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment."
(2 Peter 3:8-10, NLT)
Many a sinful decision, many regrettable acts, occur because someone has forgotten that they will be held accountable, that the circumstances of this moment will change. If we fail to calculate the consequences of today’s choices, we will live as fools! Wisdom is born in the realization that what we do today plants the seeds from which tomorrow grows!
Our lives are kept on track if we frequently recall that life is not endless, that assuredly God will wrap up history – perhaps for us in our death, perhaps for the world by the Return of His Son in glorious power. This is both an awful and awesome fact. It is awful for those who have ignored the will of God who will find themselves judged and destroyed. It is awesome for those who have looked forward and lived faithfully, obediently; who will finally receive the reward and vindication of the righteous.
Peter asks, "Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?" (2 Peter 3:11, The Message) We need not live in terror of the brevity of this earthly life since we have the promise of eternal life! But, we must not live in the delusion that life as we know it now will never end. Understanding our destiny motivates us to live well, to leave behind the sinful, the silly, the superficial. A person who knows his mortality goes deeper in the pursuit of Christ. The stories of lives changed by a brush with death are many in history.
Why wait for such a dramatic event?
Why not take the wisdom of the Word to heart and start to live with the end in sight?
"And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved." (2 Peter 3:14-15, NLT)
Now, don’t forget!
_________________
A parade began at Calvary,
And the saints of all the ages fill its ranks.
O'er the sands of time they're marching
To their King's great coronation.
And this could be the dawning of that day.
Nothing here holds their allegiance,
They're not bound by shackles forged of earthly gold.
Since that day they knelt at Calvary,
They've been pilgrims ever wandering
Just looking for a place to rest their souls.
All the saints are getting restless,
O, what glorious expectation fills each face.
Dreams and hopes of all the ages
Are awaiting His returning.
And this could be the dawning of that day.
O this could be the dawning
Of that grand and glorious day,
When the face of Jesus we behold.
Dreams and hopes of all the ages,
Are awaiting His returning.
And this could be the dawning of that day.
This Could Be The Dawning
Gaither, William J. / Gaither, Gloria
© 1971 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management
CCLI License No. 810055
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