1 Peter 4:7

Sons;

Today, the verse for class is 1 Peter 4:7 - "The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober [spirit] for the purpose of prayer."  This may seem odd at first - Peter wrote not quite 2000 years ago, and we're still here.  But, I think we need to look at how the early disciples (Paul included) viewed things.  They expected the imminent return of Christ - it is something that would happen within their lifetime, some thought.  So, in that sense Peter is making sense - it could happen today, so you should be doing the things Jesus wants you to be doing when He arrives.  Jesus talks about His return coming as a "thief in the night," unexpectedly happening, but there's no timeframe at all.

I think, though, that there is another lesson to be gained here.  For us, the end of all things is indeed near, because we have no idea what might happen to us.  James 4:13-15 tells us "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do now know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'"  Today could indeed be our last day, and there is no way to know - only God knows, and He's not telling.  So, we should be prepared to face death.  

Now, that doesn't mean being "prayed up" so you can get into Heaven - that's "works theology," and has no place with us.  But, we should be doing the good that we can do now, as opposed to doing it later, because you may not have a later.  Be sound in what you do, so that your prayers will be effective as you pray for others (because, I suspect, when you get to Heaven it's too late to pray for someone), or be a good example, or any other such thing.  That's not to say that we should not plan for tomorrow - we should very much do so, but we need to be aware that tomorrow may not come.  "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."  In the end, not a bad way to think about it!

Love,

Dad