Looking Forward

A guest post by Chad Ramsey.

Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash

Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a good weekend!

I’ve been thinking about preparing a weekly podcast about biblical church leadership. My initial thought was to plan an in-person class for those who were interested sometime during the week at the church building, but it might be difficult to get everyone there on a consistent basis. So I think a podcast might work the best.

But I’d like to know if you would even be interested in this - so please answer the three questions in the survey I’ve linked below and let me know!

If you responded to this survey already, you can skip ahead to the guest article.

Thanks!

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In a very vivid fashion, Peter described the events that will transpire when our Lord returns. In part, he noted that

“…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” (2 Peter 3:10).

Considering the devastating picture painted by Peter, one might think that individuals ought to dread this coming day. Dread, however, is opposite of the reaction Peter admonished his readers to have.

Instead of dreading the coming of the Lord, Peter encouraged us to look forward to our Lord’s return. He wrote:

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…” (2 Peter 3:14-15).

Notice three brief lessons from this passage.

Look Forward to Jesus’ Return.

First, we should look forward to our Lord’s return. This means we ought to be living in anticipation of that great day. If we are not living in a godly manner, we will hardly long for our Lord to come.

And if we are more interested in laying up for ourselves treasures on earth (see Matthew 6:19-21), it is doubtful we will be longing for the eternal home awaiting the faithful.

Nevertheless, Peter admonished us to be “looking forward to these things.”

So like John, we must live so that we can say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Live a Peaceful, Godly Life.

Second, we should live in a peaceful, godly manner.

Rather than imitating the world, the Christian should seek to imitate Christ. He has, after all, set the perfect example for us to follow (1 Peter 2:21).

Thus, as Peter noted, our lives should be characterized by both peace and purity.

Prepare for Jesus’ Return.

Third, we should use the time we have to prepare for the Lord’s return.

“The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” only if we obey Him!

Are you looking forward to Jesus’s return?

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Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.

Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.