If this was your last day on earth, what would you do? How would you live it? That’s a good question. I bet you’ve got a bucket list of things that you want to do. People’s bucket-list dreams include travelling the world (which consistently tops the polls for the most desired aspiration), others include thrill-seeking such as parachute or bungee jumping, as well as having a child, buying a house or learning a language! Personally, I’d love to explore Alaska!
The question we all ask is, how long have I got to fulfill my goals? If I am going to have a long and healthy retirement, there’s no rush! The problem is that I don’t know and you don’t know either. And that is only about our own personal futures!
The book 2 Peter presents a vision of the world which doesn’t know how long it’s got left. Peter in his letter there says that this world is going to be dissolved, it’s going to be removed and replaced. Vividly he puts it like this: ”
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. (2Pe3:10)
Peter gives us a diagnosis, that this world is not permanent, but he doesn’t give us a prognosis, he doesn’t tell us how long we’ve got.
He tells us that Jesus is coming back and that we should live expectantly in the light of his return. He urges us to pursue of godliness, part of that has to be sharing the gospel. He prompts us into a sense of spiritual urgency by writing that we don’t know how long we’ve got, we don’t know how long is left.
The promise that the Lord will return is a good promise because it means the coming of the whole of the kingdom. So Peter urges us in fact to ‘hasten his return’ (2Pe3:12) which is a curious phrase! However, if we haven’t got long, and don’t know how long we’ve got, surely that is a reason to get about the Lord’s work, living holy godly lives and sharing the gospel because we’re in the business of getting this world ready to meet Christ either as judge or as saviour. Let’s share the gospel of peace with everybody we can because we simply don’t know how long we’ve got.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live with a sense of urgency that comes from the fact that our time on earth is not an infinite resource, and that one day you will return. Help me to use each day wisely and to prioritise well, not waste the gift of today, Help me to share you with someone today. Amen