Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 6, 2024
2 Peter 3:14-18
14 Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless. 15 Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our dear friend and brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, 16 speaking of these things in all his letters. Some of his remarks are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and whose faith is weak twist them to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned in advance, be on guard so that you aren’t led off course into the error of sinful people, and lose your own safe position. 18 Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen.
Good Morning! To him belongs glory now and forever!
All good things take time. The more technologically advanced we become, the less inclined we are to wait for things. So much in our lives has become instantaneous. When our ancestors prepared a meal, it took hours, and now we can accomplish this in a matter of minutes. To share news with someone far away took months, but now we have instant access to people all over the world.
All of our advances make life “better,” but we have lost our ability to stay focused on a task for the long haul. Our endurance has become weakened. The truly important things develop over time, and the success found in shortcuts is short-lived. As I gaze at the beautiful flowers in my garden, I recognize that these luscious, mature plants didn’t appear overnight. Each spring they come back stronger and larger than last year.
Our relationship with Christ takes time to mature fully. We want to know all of the answers now, but like those flowers in my garden, we must first grow into strong, mature plants. Imagine huge hydrangea blooms trying to form on a tiny first-year branch. The bloom would topple over and wilt. Likewise, if Christ shared everything with us at the beginning of our faith journey, we would be unable to bear the weight of the knowledge he shared, so we would wilt and go in search of an easier path.
14 Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless . . . 18 Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. We want to know you better, but we are impatient. Help us take the time to develop a deep, strong relationship. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Spend time with Christ through prayer, meditation, and reading scripture.
When things seem crazy, accept the peace of Christ! Pastor Liz