Good Monday morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Here’s an interesting question for us to begin our week together: ‘What stimulates your mind to wholesome thinking?‘ That’s a particularly powerful question when you consider our busy lives, with an overload of information coming at us every day, and a continual decline in the moral fabric of every society in the world, and also the power of social media. So, I ask again: What stimulates your mind to wholesome thinking?
As we rejoin the apostle Peter in the mid first century, he’s rolling out his parchments to continue his letter to Christians all across the Roman empire in his day, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter’s letter which is very applicable to our lives today. Beginning his third chapter of his second letter, Peter writes: “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.“ (2 Peter 3:1)
Ah! Now you see why I began today with my opening question. Peter has written his first letter to encourage Christians struggling to live their lives in times of terrible persecution. Why were they persecuted? Because their world vehemently was rejecting Jesus and anyone who claimed to believe in or follow Jesus! They needed Peter’s help in ‘wholesome thinking’ about their persecutors!
Peter’s second letter was to challenge Christians everywhere to be on the watch for false teachers and be able to filter everything they heard through God’s truth. So, Peter continues: “I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.” This is one of those great verses in the Bible which calls us to view BOTH the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as important Scripture, given to us from God for teaching us about God, but also how to live God honoring lives. Remember both Paul and Peter wrote that ALL Scripture is given to us by God as He led the authors to write what HE guided them to write. (2 Peter 1:20,21 & 2Timothy 3:15-17)
Peter continued writing with these important words of warning: “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own desires.” (2 Peter 3:3) So look around your world my friends, no matter where you live in our world… do you see people scoffing at the Bible, mocking it as an old book that is filled with error and myth and has little relevance to our lives today? Do you see people both ‘following their own desires’ and urging people to join them in living lives which mock God and God’s design for human life to be lived?
Both mockery of God and His truth, and pursuit of selfishness, even to the detriment of others, are tactics of the devil and his dark kingdom. Do you see these schemes of the devil tearing apart families and society as a whole where you live in our world?
Peter continues: “These scoffers will say, ‘Where is this coming, He promised?” Yes, in Peter’s day and ever since, most people have discounted, even laughed at the promise of God that Jesus will return to this earth! Jesus Himself said it several times while with His disciples, (John 14:1-3; Matthew 24) and on the day when Jesus ascended from this earth back to heaven, two angels appeared and made a very clear statement: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) We know there are two specific times, yet in the future, when Jesus will return, as promised.
First, Jesus will return to ‘rapture’ up all those who have believed in Jesus for their salvation since the time of His atonement death and resurrection, and also all those who believed in God prior to Jesus’ atonement death and resurrection. (Rom. 4:20-24) This return is described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
And then secondly, Jesus will return as victorious King to reign on this earth for 1000 years as described in Revelation 20.
My friends, are you looking forward to both these remarkable events with great anticipation, or are you among those who laugh at the mention of them?
There is one more thing Peter wrote that I want us to consider today: “Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago, by God’s word, the heavens came into being and the earth was formed…” (2 Peter 3:3,4) Do you see how Peter is challenging us to remember the creation of all that exists in the universe, and our planet earth, came into being by God speaking creation into existence, according to Genesis 1!
Do you believe the TRUTH, as God has proclaimed it, or are you a person who has complex scientific explanations regarding the beginning of the universe and even the evolution of the human race? Do you see Peter’s challenge regarding people who DELIBERATELY forget God’s truth? Do you know anyone who both discounts and deliberately forgets God’s truth?Paul wrote about that to the Christians in Rome in a statement which is also very relevant to our world today. You’ll find it in Romans 1:18-32. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse…”
So, we end today where we began… ‘What stimulates your mind to wholesome thinking?‘ Peter calls us to invite God’s Truth to stimulate our minds. Do you have an appetite for God’s truth and are you determined to keep your mind stimulated to ‘wholesome thinking’ or are you allowing your mind to be distracted or tainted by so much in our world that is opposed to God, God’s truth, and even thinking which is God honoring?
Ponder that my friends, for your future, your reputation, your legacy and in many ways your entire life all depend on how you think! That’s why Paul wrote this challenge which echoes Peter’s words which we’ve considered today: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – God’s good and pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) Are you conforming to the world’s distorted style of thinking? Did you know that all of Psalm 119 speaks to Peter’s challenge today and explains HOW to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
I close with this challenge for all of us for stimulating our minds to wholesome thinking: Psalm 119 has 22 little sections, read one every day; and then memorize this from Paul’s letter to his friends in Philippi: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things!” (Philippians 4:8)
Now I urge us to talk with God about this and here’s a song to help us consider how we think. . .
Today’s Scripture is 2 Peter 3:1-5.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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