“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, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles,” – 2 Peter 3:1-2 

Scripture reading: Isaiah 24; Revelation 22:7

I am sure we have all forgotten a long-planned event. Often, it is just the busyness of life that can lead us to forget even things we look forward to. And so, to prevent forgetting, we might put a calendar reminder on our phone. When the reminder pops up, a few days before the planned event, we remember.

Well, the Lord Jesus commanded us to “be ready” for His return (Matthew 24:44). And although we may eagerly look forward to that day, because the days roll by, we can easily forget to “be ready.” A simple way to test this is with the following question: If you knew that Jesus was coming back next week, would you suddenly have an urgent list of things to stop doing, start doing, and/or relationships to repair? I am sure we all would.

Knowing this, Peter provides his readers with a reminder. His reminder is the predictions and commandments of Scripture. For example, Isaiah 24 is known as ‘the little Book of Revelation.’ The Lord Jesus also gave us parables that were about His return – the foolish virgins and the talents (Matthew 25), and the wedding feast (Matthew 22). The Apostles too, were clear about Judgment Day (Acts 17:31 and 2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul even explained how the return of the Lord Jesus would unfold (1 Thessalonians 4). Even our worship is preparation or ‘practice’ for our life with Him in eternity! May He use it to help us ‘be ready.’

Suggestions for prayer

Thank the Lord for being able to participate in public worship. Ask Him to use it to help us to be ready for His return.

Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.