April 5th | The Coming of the Last Day - Part 3
A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PETER’S SECOND LETTER
THE COMING OF THE LAST DAY – PART III
2 Peter 3:8-9 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
The Lutheran Study Bible comments on today’s devotional verses, “Repentance leading to faith and salvation is the issue for the Lord, not times or timing. He is patient, wanting all to come to salvation. Repentance consists of contrition (godly sorrow over one’s sins) and faith (trusting in the divine promise of forgiveness through faith in Christ).”
Being eternal, God’s clock and calendar do not operate like yours or the world’s. Days, months, years, millennia are all the same to God. What matters to God, St. Paul wrote to Timothy is, “God our Savior . . . wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4) John, in his Gospel, wrote, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
The key thought of Peter’s words today are the final words of verse 9, “ . . . He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God’s patience with sinners is found throughout the history of this world. His patience was demonstrated when He waiting for over 100 years to send the flood; After 40 years of rebellion and complaining God finally permitted Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land; and, since Christ’s death and resurrection God has permitted the world to continue for more than 2,000 additional years. Why is God patient? In each instance where His patience was manifested it was to give His Law opportunity to do its work of causing the people involved time to recognize their sin and come to a time of repentance. Sometimes few received His forgiveness such as at the time of the flood only Noah and his family were spared from drowning and dying. At other times an entire nation, namely Israel, was forgiven and blessed by Him to receive the gift of a new homeland.
Why is God patient? He is patient because He wants the world, all people in the world, people from every nation and language group to recognize their sins, to come to faith in His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, and to receive the gift of everlasting life.
You, dear believer in Jesus, experience God’s patience daily as He stands ready to hear the confession of your sins and then grant you forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. His word of truth reveals to You His never ending, undeserved love for you a sinner. His patient arms are always open to receive you into them for Jesus’ sake.
Prayer: Yahweh, Your patient with me a sinner is beyond comprehension, but thanks and praise to You for gifting me with your love and mercy through Jesus Your Son. In His name. Amen.
(A hymn usually sung at the beginning of a worship service)
Open now thy gates of beauty; Zion, let me enter there, Where my soul in joyful duty Waits for Him who answers prayer. Oh, how blessed is this place, Filled with solace, light, and grace.
Gracious God, I come before thee; Come Thou also unto me. Where we find Thee and adore Thee, There a heav’n on earth must be. To my heart, O enter Thou; Let it be Thy temple now!
Here Thy praise is gladly chanted; Here Thy seed is duly sown. Let my soul, where it is planted, Bring forth precious sheaves alone, So that all I hear my be Fruitful unto life in me.
Thou my faith increase and quicken; Let me keep Thy gift divine, How so e’er temptations thicken; May Thy Word still o’er me shine As my guiding star through life, As my comfort in all strife.
Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee; Let Thy will be done indeed. May I undisturbed draw near Thee While Thou dost Thy people feed. Here of life the fountain flows; Here is balm for all our woes.
(LSB 901)