SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Finding Peace

Finding Peace

Words of Faith 3-20-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

To unsubscribe, follow the directions at the end of this devotion.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

 

2 Peter 3

    [14] So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

 

       So, what is this Christian life supposed to be like?  Peter made it very clear that we are to live in the awareness that the Lord may return at any time.  This is not a position of fear, but rather a posture that looks forward to the "day of God" when He will destroy and renew the entire universe.  Believers need to constantly to look beyond the circumstances of this life and to gauge every thought and every action in light of the eternal state that Christ's return in glory will introduce.  

       The ultimate result in our lives is that on the day that Christ returns, believers will "appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). In light of all of that, Peter urged, "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

        The language here is rich with meaning.  "To be found" is a phrase that has a judicial overtone. It conjures up the scene of the court of law, where the judge "finds" a defendant guilty or innocent. Peter used this same verb in a similar manner in verse 10, speaking about the whole physical earth being "found" before God that is, "laid bare" to his searching and infallibly correct judgment.

         The Greek translated "spotless and blameless" is the same language Peter used regarding Christ in his first letter, calling Him a lamb "without blemish or defect" (1:19).  The image is one of sacrifice that reminds us that the Old Testament regularly demanded that the sacrifices offered to the Lord be "without spot or blemish."  This is the goal of Christ for us.

         Peter's point is clear: Motivated by the Day of the Lord that is coming, believers should work hard to be found perfectly pure and blameless when God in Christ assesses our lives. We should strive to be the opposite of the false teachers, who are "blots and blemishes" (2:13).  

          But don't misunderstand.  This is a goal we are to strive for, not a condition that we will finally be able to achieve.  A believer will always have sin to confess (1 John 1:8), and our struggle with sin will never finally end until our bodies themselves are "redeemed.”  As Paul wrote to the Roman church: "We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23).  But this realization should not diminish our sincere effort to get as close to that goal as possible.

          The term "at peace" stands apart as a resulting condition.  The Greek means "at one again.”  This peace may be that of a satisfied conscience or the tranquility that the true believer can enjoy at the time of the judgment, knowing that Christ has taken care of the sin problem.  But probably also had in mind the "peace" of reconciliation -- the restored relationship that the believer enjoys with God through the mediation of Christ.

         So, what kind of life are you living?  What kinds of pursuits are filling your days?  Are you finding peace?  Are you discovering the peace that only Jesus gives, not as the world gives? 

 

        Father God, direct me into Your path and Your way.  Order my life such that I am ready for Your return and expectant of Your victory.  Set my priorities according to the matters that are important to You.  Examine me and cleanse me so that I might be found without spot or blemish.  Give me Your peace.  In Jesus' Name.

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.  Or you can call the church office at 321-259-7200 x1.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><