Looking Forward - 2 Peter 3:13

2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. (NIV)

At times, our world can be a very scary and unpredictable place. Changes challenge us constantly and most folks get weary of all the social, political, and religious turmoil that is constantly going on. We try to keep up with things, but eventually, we run out of steam. The world keeps moving on and we sometimes feel left behind.

But this is where our faith becomes meaningful. We remember that our destination is not tied to this frenetic world. As Christians, we look forward to a time when God through Christ will recreate a New Heaven and a New Earth which means that all the former things like pain, suffering, conflict, and war will be replaced with peace, grace, and love.

Application: Am I worried about the future? Am I willing to leave it all to God, so I can look forward to when he makes all things, including myself, new?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we live in anxious times so we are asking for Your peace to be present in our lives. Help us to focus on what You are doing in the world, so we may prepare ourselves for the recreation of everything. In Your Holy Name, we wait and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship each Sunday at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s Smoky Mountain drawings called “Heaven meets Earth.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Heaven.

Daily Devotions: Street Talkers

Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

My wife Evelyn and I were gone for a couple of days this week. We went to one of our favorite cities – Asheville, North Carolina. We enjoy going there and walking in the downtown area. We love looking at the architecture of the buildings, walking along the sidewalks, and seeing the amazing artworks, galleries, and creativity that Asheville has to offer.

But there’s also a “weird” side to the town that just astonishes us and yesterday was no exception. As we were walking up the hill to some of the wee bistros at the top of Patton Ave, we noticed a street vendor and a driver were having a conversation. The driver’s car was stopped at a red light and both people seemed to know each other.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, “said the vendor. “Where have you been?”

In a loud voice, the woman driver answered, “Oh my boyfriend put me in jail for a while. I just got out this week.”

Evelyn and I looked at each other incredulously. This unknown woman was letting everyone know that she had been in jail and didn’t seem to mind who knew. Only in Asheville, I guess.

At one time, we were known to be People of the Book. We tried to live our lives and mold our society on good old fashioned Biblical principles. Now it seems that people no longer live by God’s rules and as the years go past, we become more brazen about our sinful ways and more boastful about breaking the rules.

I worry about the world that our kids are going up in. There’s seems to be no boundaries, no common rules, and no order or decency. The world is becoming more hostile, disloyal, and unfriendly. People no longer live by the Book, only by the rules that they write for themselves.

The world needs true Christian people and our next generation desperately needs faithful Christian leaders. I hope and pray that God will graciously allow them to be raised up amongst them.

Prayer: Lord God, we have carelessly set aside our beliefs and allowed our society to abandon its allegiance to You. We have corrupted our values and been led astray by our own willful and harmful desires. Forgive us, Lord, for not heeding Your words or ways. Raise up strong leaders like Joshua of old, who can help our children and children’s children return to the Promised Land of faith, hope, and love. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.