Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? 2 Peter 3:11
We watched the children working so hard with their little pails and shovels, building a wonderful castle in the damp red sand of that beautiful beach. They were enjoying their project, and took great pains to do an excellent job. When they had finished, we stood and admired their work, because it was well worth admiring. Then we ran up the beach, and up the roadway to the cottage for lunch. It was not until mid-afternoon that we returned to the beach, and the children scampered on ahead, to see their sand castle again. But we heard their cries of dismay when they arrived. When we joined them, we saw the cause of their dismay; the waves of the incoming tide were beginning to wash away their beautiful creation. Within minutes, those waves had restored that sand castle to a flat and unbroken sandy surface. Sadly, the children shook their heads and declared that their morning labours had all been a waste of time. All they had left were the memories. It’s a good lesson in priorities for us, as we build our possessions and stake our territory in this world that will shortly be dissolved.
In the previous verse, Peter speaks of the coming destruction of creation as we know it: ‘the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ Now, we know that this great event is some time off. We must first experience the Rapture of the saints, and the earth must experience the Great Tribulation and the Millenium, the thousand year reign of Christ. But if we look around at the homes we have built, the possessions we have obtained, the communities in which we enjoy life, we tend to see them as permanent. We even make careful plans as to who will receive the things we have after we die. It’s hard to imagine them all being destroyed. That’s because our lives have become so tied to this world’s possessions that we have lost our perspective as citizens of God’s eternity. Our behaviour is that of the citizens of this world instead of the holy conversation and godliness that is appropriate to our real home.
The Lord Jesus has promised to prepare mansions in His Father’s house for us (John 14:1-3). If we could grasp how much more glorious those mansions are than our earthly homes, we would devote more effort toward the former than the latter. The Lord Jesus has also promised great rewards for service to Himself (Mark 10:29-30). If we could grasp how much more lucrative those rewards are than the wages of this world, we would devote more effort to the former than the latter. The Lord Jesus has promised us pleasures forevermore at His right hand (Psalm 16:11). If we could grasp how much greater are the delights of Heaven than this world’s tinsel toys, we would devote more effort toward the former than the latter.
Our lives will be greatly changed when we get the priorities of eternity in view. – Jim MacIntosh