Today’s reading is 2 Peter 2:1-3:18.

First, my apologies for missing last week. We were traveling and then working through the death of Marita’s Maw-maw. 

Second, I want to ask for your prayers. My family and I have decided to relocate to work with the church in Brownsburg, Indiana. The next three months are going to be a very stressful time (I haven’t been very good about keeping our house in ready-to-sell condition). I don’t know how that will impact my blogging over that time, but I’ll try to keep it up.

On to today’s reading.

God Doesn’t Want Us to Perish

I love today’s reading because it reminds me that God is patient. He doesn’t want me to perish. He doesn’t want you to perish. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. 2 Peter 3:9 says so:

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

I don’t know how many times I get asked what will happen if I get cut off in traffic, lose my cool, give someone the finger and shower them with profanity and road rage only to end up in a fatal accident without time to repent. I believe this question is looking at God all wrong. God is not looking to wipe us out. He is looking to save us. God is giving everyone time to repent. I don’t have to fear that there will ever be something that I would have repented for if given the time but God cuts the cord of my life before I have that opportunity. God is not willing for any to perish, but is patient wanting everyone to repent. What that means is you, me, everyone will have enough time to repent. If we die without saving penitence, it won’t be because God didn’t give us the time.

The great comfort for me in this passage is not simply that God is patient. The great comfort is that God wants us to be saved. God wanted us to be saved so badly that He sent Jesus to die for us. Surely, if He went that far to make sure I could be saved, He is still working to help me be saved. The question is not about what God is doing. The question is about me. Will I surrender to His work to save me or keep trying to go my own way?

God doesn’t want me to perish. How badly do I not want to perish?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?