I know sometimes it can be boring,..dull,...weary to hear the same things over and over again. After all, who wants to be reminded again of basic things? We want to always be tantalized with new and exciting information, right? The same old stuff again? After all, aren’t you insulting my intelligence to repeat the same old things over and over again?
I think we all can remember those experiences when we were growing up. Parents going out for a night and lecturing us about all the stuff we already know we are to do… clean the dishes, put them away, put them away right, shut the cupboards, turn of the lights...make the sure the water is ALL THE WAY off… etc. “Do they think we are dumb?” Reminders of curfew, reminders to brush your teeth. Reminders to shower every day. And always the response: “I know ma! I know dad.” “I know, I know, I know!”
They must think I’m dumb!
Then you got older. And the same thing happened on your first job. The boss always was reminding you about something. Reminders to smile on the job and to always follow procedure. Reminders to punch in on time, reminders to work hard, reminders to sleep at home, and reminders to eat on break, NOT ON THE CLOCK.
Wow, they must have thought I was dumb too!
But then you got older yet. And you had your kids. You had your first employees. And worse yet, your kids and your employees got to be...teenagers.
Suddenly you began to realize why you were constantly given all those reminders! And yeah… we were dumb!
Peter talks about reminders in 2 Peter 3. He says, “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.” What does he think that we are dumb?
Not really. He’s reminded us already of the good news concerning Jesus Christ, and that through that good news we can have God live in us, making us partakers of the divine nature (1:4). He’s reminded us to reflect that reality in our behavior. He’s reminded us that the gospel is not founded on myths, but on eyewitness testimony (1:16). He’s also reminded us that there are false teachers out there that are seeking to destroy us, and use us for their own selfish ends.
Peter calls us back to these things because there is value in coming back to these basics. Not because we are dumb, but that its easy for us to get side tracked. Not because he wants to bore us, but he wants to remind us of the most exciting and important central truths. Its also a challenge to us. If we find “reminders” and revisiting the basics of the Christian life boring, dull, or insulting to revisit, that may say something about the current state of our hearts!
The reaction Peter seeks from us is not “I know that already!” Rather, it should draw from us a renewed vigilance. It should elicit a return to thankfulness and joy over our deliverance. It should stimulate us to remember where our destiny was without Christ, and to want to share this truth with others. And so, with Peter, I wish to remind you: “You were destined for hell without Christ. But the Good news is that Jesus has delivered us from Hell, saved us from our sin, and now we have the Holy Spirit living within us.”
What’s your reaction to that?
No comments:
Post a Comment