“Be-Attitudes” for the Last Days

“Be-Attitudes” for the Last Days

That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior…. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day……Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;……You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

II Peter 3:2, 8, 14, 17, 18

Peter wrote his second epistle in the rising glow of the expected second coming of Christ.  This hope has continued to lift up the heads of the saints of God until this very hour.  For those who are living in the ‘last days,’ which Peter denoted as having begun at the Day of Pentecost, he gives some sound and spiritual advice.  His advice regards what our attitudes ought to be as we ‘occupy’ until the Lord comes.  Peter precedes each portion of his advice with the endearment ‘beloved.’  Having used that title of us in verse one, Peter writes in verse two that he wants us to ‘be mindful.’  The thing of which he would have us to ‘be mindful’ of is the Word of God.  As the ‘scoffers’ increase, our mindfulness of the Word is going to be increasingly important.  It will enable us to ‘withstand in the evil day.’  That mindfulness of the Word of God should pre-eminently occupy us with the Person of Christ.

Peter would also have us to ‘be not ignorant’ or to put it positively, to ‘be knowledgeable.’  He would have us to be knowledgeable regarding the plan and character of God.  Verse eight reveals that God does things in His own time; Verse nine reveals that He does things according to His own faithful character and purpose.  Peter would also have us, as his beloved, to ‘be diligent’.  That Christ is coming again gives no just cause for us to adopt an end-of-the-world mentality.  That the Savior is coming soon ought to cause us to draw near with wholeness of heart to both contemplate and imitate Christ with diligence, fervency, and faith.

Finally, Peter warns us, as his beloved, ‘to beware.’  We ought to beware lest we fall prey to those who twist the Scriptures to their own advantage to accomplish their diabolical designs, which Peter had described in the second chapter.  Faithful declarers of truth make much of Christ.

All these little pieces of advice fit together to give us a clear picture of what type of attitudes we ought to have in these days before Christ most surely comes again.

Our Great and Gracious Master,

fill us with Thy Holy Spirit to be 

what we should be

in these last days.

come, Lord Jesus!

Where the Bush is Burning

Tomm Tice