DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- DILIGENCE

 DILIGENCE
II Peter 3:14
 
"Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."
 
Peace with God comes from a clear conscience, knowing that I am spotless and blameless before Him because I am confident that all my sins are forgiven. When Jesus comes for me, whether by death or by the Rapture, I want there to be nothing between us that would strain that relationship. It is like marriage. Sometimes things come between a husband and wife that hinders intimacy. I know when there is something between my wife and I when there is no peace. It takes careful attention to keep the channel clear. This is diligence – "steady, earnest, and energetic application and effort" (Webster's Dictionary). I cannot afford to be sloppy in my attitudes or my living when it comes to eternal salvation. An old Gospel hymn says, "Nothing between my soul and the Savior, so that His blessed face may be seen. Nothing preventing the least of His favor. Keep the way clear, let nothing between." This is my part. It is my responsibility to be diligent, giving steady, earnest, energetic effort to keep my relationship with Jesus unhindered.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Each Christian is charged with being diligent in their relationship with the Lord Jesus.
 
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Have a diligent day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- WHAT A PLACE!!!!!

 WHAT A PLACE!!!
II Peter 3:13
 
"Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
I can barely imagine what it would be like to live in a place of total righteousness – where everything is right, untainted by sin.
    No more devil or temptation to sin.
    No more sickness or death.
    No more getting old with its aches and pains, alzheimers, and wrinkles.
    No more strained relationships.
    No more weeds to pull.
    No more financial pressures.
    No more unwanted fat (goodbye, TOPS).
    No more broken-down cars.
What a wonderful place God has promised. "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (I Corinthians 2:9). Bring it on!!!!
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God has promised a wonderful future to His children.
 
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Have a "looking forward" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HOLY LIVING

 HOLY LIVING
II Peter 3:11-12
 
"Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
 
So what am I living for – this world which will is destined to be destroyed, or eternity which will last forever?  And what kind of person should I be? The answer is "holy and godly." Holiness is not a popular word from the pulpit, but it is still in the Bible. God gave Ezekiel a vision of a future temple with all its dimensions. Then God said, "This is the basic law of the temple: Holiness" (Ezekiel 43:12 , New Living Bible), because it is to be God's dwelling place on earth (vs. 7).   Paul picked up on this when he wrote, "You are the temple of the living God ... Therefore...let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (II Corinthians 6:16; 17:1). God calls me to holy living because He, the Holy One, lives in me. What an awesome challenge.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God's people are to be holy in conduct because the holy God dwells in them.
 
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Have a holy day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- MISPLACED PRIORITIES

 MISPLACED PRIORITIES
II Peter 3:10
 
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."
 
There is some merit in the ecological effort to preserve the Earth. I recycle because we are stewards of this world that God has given to us, and we need to take care of it. It is our home; we live in it and should protect it. But ultimately, the green movement, Earth Day, and the rest of the environmental hype are misplaced priorities because they are focused on a material system that will ultimately collapse. It is temporary and will be destroyed, but not by human pollution. The greater priority is eternal – laying up treasures in heaven where there is no corruption or destruction (Matthew 6:19-21). If my focus is to preserve this world and "the works that are in it," my life will surely have been in vain.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: The world we live in is a temporary home that will be destroyed.
 
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Have a "priority" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- GOD'S TIMETABLE

 GOD'S TIMETABLE
II Peter 3:8
 
"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."
 
I need this reminder often because I get so impatient when things don't happen when I want them to. Whether it is Christ's return, as Peter was writing about, or answer to prayer, or the salvation of a loved one, God is in control, and His timetable is different than mine. He is not constrained by my calendar because there is no time in heaven as we know it. God does not get in a hurry. The point is that I need to trust Him. He will accomplish His perfect will in His time. "In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time. Lord, please show me every day as You're teaching me Your way that You'll do just what You say, in Your time."
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God does things according to His calendar, not mine.
 
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Have a patient, trusting day.  Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD

THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD
II Peter 3:4-7
 
".... 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this they willingly forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
 
The father said to his rebellious son, "Son, I made you and I can take you out!" The God who created the universe by the power of His word can also destroy what He has made by His word. He has the power to create, sustain, and destroy by His word. "By Him all things are created ... and are held together" (Colossians 1:16-17). People think that they can live in rebellion against God because they do not see His wrath. They think that this world will go on forever, just like it has for the millennia since creation (called uniformitarianism). But God is only delaying His judgment – keeping the earth in store and reserving it for His day of judgment. The earth will not be destroyed by climate change or other ecological disaster. It will be destroyed by the power of God's word, just has He has promised. It is His mercy that keeps this destruction from happening. "The Lord not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (vss. 9-10). I thank God for His longsuffering mercy and grace.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: The world and ungodly people will be judged by the power of God's word.
 
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Have a grace day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- MY APPOINTMENT CALENDAR

 MY APPOINTMENT CALENDAR
II Peter 3:1-4a
 
"Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 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, knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming?' "
 
My calendar is full of reminders of important appointments on my agenda. Peter wrote a "Post-It" note urging us to keep a fresh anticipation of the return of our Savior. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of daily living that this most important appointment gets lost in the shuffle. People may scoff at the notion of Jesus' return, but it is a sure thing. It will happen and I need to keep it "first" on my calendar.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Jesus is coming, even if people scoff at the idea.
 
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Have an anticipating day. Love you.