"The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ" (NRSV).
"The end of all things is near . . ."
Once Adam and Eve sinned, the earth as we know it was doomed. God is both too merciful and too just to allow sin to exist forever. Once sin entered creation, creation was doomed. It doesn’t matter that God has restrained His hand for more than 2,000 years. The end of all things is near because the end will come. It is the same with the end of each of our lives. The one guarantee that comes to all of us is that this life, as we know it, will end. If we are believers, the Lord Jesus will come for us . . . one way or another. He will either return and gather all believers to Himself or He will come to us individually when we die to take us to Heaven. We have no guarantee for this life, only for the promises in His Word. We cannot know if we even have the next breath! The psalmist likens our lives to a passing shadow: "O Lord, what are human beings that You regard them, or mortals that You think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow" (Psalm 144:3 NRSV). Life is that precarious. And yet, we also know that when we breathe our last breath here, we will breathe our next breath there.
The question Peter poses is whether or not we are ready. Life is short. Have we done our best for Jesus? Are we worried about the things in life which do not matter or are we concerning ourselves with the things that bring glory to the Father? Peter admonishes us to do two things: (1) be serious and (2) discipline ourselves. The meaning of both words focuses on the idea of somberness, dispassion, being in control, being calm and collected in spirit. It is the idea of refusing to allow the circumstances of life thrust us this way or that, that we refuse to become upset or angry because of what has happened around us, but rather we remain calm, trusting the Lord to work for our good.
This, I’m beginning to believe, is the key to successful Christian living. Successful Christian living isn’t about whether or not we are happy, but is about how much we trust God to work all things for our good, even when circumstances are insane. It is, I think, much like the account of the disciples in the boat tossed by the storm:
"When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and He was alone on the land. When He saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, He came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased" (Mark 6:47-51 NRSV).
I find this account interesting. The disciples were alone, straining against an adverse wind. And rather than welcoming the Lord, they cried out in terror, thinking that His presence (His will) would make things worse (that He was a ghost). God’s will, even when it isn’t what we expected or what we wanted, is always the answer to our prayers and the best thing for us! Father God continues to work things for our good, even when we think that circumstances are getting worse. His responsibility is to work all things for our good. Our responsibility is to live sobering, calmly, in control of our thoughts and emotions, praying all the time and submitting everything to Him.
© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.
