2 Peter 3:14-15
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. This is not a good basis for a good society. Cities like Amsterdam and Portland exist with this worldview. They also deal with the serious pathologies that accompany it, like addiction, squalor, and disease. Peter had a better idea, given by the Holy Spirit. In these two verses, we see anticipation and hope. We see a call to persevere. We see a call for holiness. We even see a sense of unity between Peter and Paul after Paul rebuked Peter in Antioch. The first word is therefore so the reason for doing this comes before. It is because Jesus is coming soon with a new heaven and a new earth.
This is why we are also called to have these same attributes. We are called to be patient and persevere through the trials we are facing today. They may pale in comparison to the persecution of Peter’s hearers but they are trials all the same. Lastly, we are called to be unified under the banner of Jesus Christ because he is coming soon. Today, may the holiness and peace from the Holy Spirit comfort us because we know that this world is not all there is and eternal life awaits us. God bless you as you wait for these things!
O Heavenly Father, only you are holy so we call on you to make us holy. We praise you that the blood of Jesus makes us whole. In Jesus’ name. Amen.