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2 Peter 3:8-15
Well, we're already almost a month into the new year and few months from the
elections. We already have survived 6 days after the doomsday prediction that
world will end Dec 21, 2012. With the 21 typhoons cuing in line to hit the country
and the national elections, Philippine history is about to be rewritten again. As we
welcome 2013, I can't help but wonder what might be the experiences we will go
through in the next 12 months. Will it really be good, will we be strong? Some are
also predicting a massive election cheating and fraud. When theres a power
failure, they will say, the government is preparing the election fraud. Those are
some of the worst predictions. Of course, a number of reliable experts say we have
nothing to worry about. Who's right? There's no telling...yet. I do know this, however
that in this year someoneeither the pessimists or the optimistswill look silly. I
know something else: No matter what happens, our lives must go on and go about
our business, regardless of any cheating or problems that may occur.
It's a lot of fun to watch sci-fi movies filmed in the fifties even in the eighties
depicting life in the 21st century, because their predictions on how life would be
today haven't even come close. For example, they seemed to think that eventually
we would all dress the samethat everyone would wear a silver jump suit and a
pair of go-go boots. They also seemed to think we would have sliding doors in every
home and moving sidewalks through out the city. The only place you see those
today are in airports. And speaking of airports, they also predicted there would be
flying cars, yet I would imagine everyone got here today through ground
transportation. And even though video conferencing is now in its infancy, we're still
a long way from being able to call anyone and everyone on the phone and look at
them as we speak.
Even though life today is nothing like the sci-fi movies envisioned, you can't deny
that the pace of life is changing faster than ever before. And it's not just in the area
of technologyfamilies are changing, values are changing, society is changing, our
idea of what is moral and immoral is changing, etc. The question is: in the midst of
all this change, how does a person prepare for life in the current millennium? What
will it take for you to THRIVE in this modern technological age?
For the next four weeks, we are going to ask that question again and again, and
look at what the Bible has to say about it. Specifically, we're going to examine four
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena
We tend to think in terms of NOWwe see the mundane details of our life as
urgent...as "do or die". This kind of thinking is counter-productive, and creates
unnecessary stress. Most of our problems are not a matter of life and death, and
there's no point in blowing them out of proportion. Dean Smith, the former
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena
Peter said 1,000 years are like a day, but it is just as important to realize that he
said,
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena
Living
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Living
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In verses 10-13 Peter tells us how the world will end. He says there will be fire, the
heavens will be laid bare, the earth will be destroyed. Let me quickly interject that
we don't know when this will happen. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a million
yearsthere's no way of knowing. However, Peter says,
fans may be focus on one bad play, but coaches don't. Coaches realize that
in order to win a game, every play matters.
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena
It's the same way in life. Every day matters. Every moment of every day
matters. If you want to learn to see the big picture, you have to recognize
the value of each momentand live it to the fullest.
Randy Stonehill wrote a song called "Celebrate This Heartbeat." The chorus says,
Thirdly, learning to see the big pictures require that we learn to...
3.
Most of us are pretty good at preparing for the worst. We buy insurance for our
health, for our cars, for our home; we lock the doors; we install alarms; we have
smoke detectors and radar detectors and computer virus detectors; we back up our
hard drives; we fill our basement with bottled water and canned food; we put away
money for a rainy day; we buy cars with airbags and seatbelts and grab the longest
warranty possible; we meet the man or woman of our dreams and then draft a prenuptial agreement in case the dream becomes a nightmare; sometimes we even
carry an umbrella when the sun is shining "just in case".
Most of us know how to prepare for the worst, and of course, many of these things
are necessary. However, if this all you to do to prepare for the future, you're missing
the big picture. We must also step out in faith and prepare for the best.
This is what Peter is telling us to do. Negative thinking people often miss the point
of this passage. They focus on the fire and destruction Peter mentions, but that's
not really his point. His point is...
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena
Let me ask you ask a question. If God blessed you beyond your
wildest dreams right now, would you be ready for it? If he begins to
bless your business, are you ready to handle the increase? If you're single and he
brings the man or woman of your dreams into your life, are you prepared for the
responsibility of such a relationship? If God decides to increase your ministry, are
you prepared to do it? If you want to experience God's best, you have to prepare to
receive God's best.
Have you ever seen an Academy Award nominee be so completely nonplussed by
being announced as the winner that they stand at the podium babbling
incoherently? Instead of saying with finesse, "I would like to thank all of the people
who made this night possible," they end up saying something like, "uh..........." on
national TV. This happened to Sally Fields when she won her second Oscar for Places
In the Heart. She didn't expect to win, because she had never been accepted in the
industry as a serious actress. After all, she was The Flying Nun...she was in Smokey
and the Bandit. She's no Meryl Streep. So, when she accepted her award she had no
idea what to say. Instead she stammered, "You like me...you really, really like me!"
She has been lampooned for that acceptance speech ever since, but it was all she
could think of to say. Clearly, she didn't expect to win, and she hadn't prepared for
the best.
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena
Learning to see the big picture means that we accept in faith that
God has great things in store for usin this life and in the life to
come. And it means that we prepare ourselves for the good things he wants to
give.
CONCLUSION
Regardless of what negative people say, the Bible plainly teaches that our future is
bright. As the saying goes, we may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know
who holds tomorrow. We can face the year, decade and even the century with
optimism, because God will be with us every step of the way. Even when we face
setbacks and challenges, he is with us. And ultimately, we will be in his presence
forever and ever. Until that day, we must keep our eyes on the big picturethinking
of life in terms of eternity, living in the moment and not for the moment, and
always, in faith, preparing to receive God's best.
12.26-28.2012
J. Balbuena