A Waiting Attitude

Picture in your mind a family that is expecting guests for dinner. The set time for their arrival is rapidly approaching; preparations are enormous and hopes high. Yes, the whole family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the guests and looks forward to a delicious meal and fine fellowship.

As Christians, we are waiting for something even more important. For what? Surely all of us are waiting for the day of the Lord. Until it arrives, we need to be like the prophet Micah who said, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord. I wait for my saviour; my God will hear me” (7:7). Does that imply inactivity? No. There is much to be done.

The apostle Peter helps us to have the proper attitude while waiting. He says, “What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:1112). This is an exclamatory statement. Peter was not asking a question. In his two divinely inspired letters, he described what kind of people Christians ought to be. He exhorted them to go on performing holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion. Centuries ago, Jesus gave the sign of the conclusion of the system of things on earth; Christians were not to let down their guard (Matthew 24:4). They were to be waiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the Lord.

What does this mean for us? The word translated here ‘keeping close in mind’ means speeding up. Of course, we cannot literally speed up the day of the Lord. For we know neither the day nor the hour when Jesus Christ will come to execute judgement upon this wicked world and all its systems (Matthew 24:36; 25:13).

The verb in the expression ‘speed up’ here means to make haste and so is closely related to the exhortation to be zealous, active, concerning about something. Peter was urging his fellow believers to be ardently desiring the presence of the day of the Lord. They could do this by constantly keeping it in mind. With the great dreadful day of the Lord now so near, we should have exactly the same mental attitude: “The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:31-32).

If we are ardently desiring to survive the Lord’s day, we will make that evident by our holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion. The expression ‘holy acts of conduct’ may well remind us of Peter’s admonition: “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desire’s you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14-16).

Holiness: To be holy, we must maintain physical, mental, moral and spiritual cleanness. Are we preparing for the Lord’s day by keeping ourselves holy as individuals, and ecclesias in God’s name? The moral standards of the world are steadily deteriorating. There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them … Evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse (2 Timothy 3:1-5,13). We need to take positive action to correct matters in order to please God.

Deeds of godly devotion: Godly actions and godly devotion are also vital if we are to keep the Lord’s day in mind. Godly devotion means a reverence for God that moves us to do what is pleasing in His eyes. Loyal attachment to God is the motivating force behind such deeds of godly devotion. For it is His will that “All men should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God does not desire anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). So then, should not our godly devotion stimulate us to intensify our efforts to help people learn about God and imitate Him? This means not only actively telling people about our hope, but setting a godly example in our lives. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly beloved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:1).

Our life will abound with all kinds of godly devotion if we seek God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). This involves having a balanced view of material things. Jesus warned, “Watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Although it may be hard to picture ourselves becoming blinded by the love of money, we do well to note that anxiety in this time of material things, and the deceptive power of riches can choke the word of God (Matthew 13:22).

Waiting patiently and in peace: Emphasizing the importance of maintaining a waiting attitude; Peter says: “Dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (3:14). This means to be found by God individually cleansed in Jesus’ precious blood (Revelation 7:9,14). This requires having a good knowledge of the gospel, exercising faith in Christ and becoming a baptised and dedicated child of God. Peter also says that we are to be found unblemished in the same way, as Paul exhorted Christians: “Do everything so that you can become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:1415). With this in mind, we will be moved by love for God and our neighbours as we preach the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 2:35-40; 24:14).

Finally, Peter tells us to be found in peace. He emphasizes the importance of having intense love for one another and maintaining peace with our fellow believers (1 Peter 2:17; 3:1011; 4:8; 2 Peter 1:5-7). Then, our expectation of living in the new peaceful world will be reflected in our pursuit of peace with our fellow-worshippers now. It will show that we have a waiting attitude and are keeping close in mind the presence of the day of our Lord.

Godly Character

Finally, says Peter,

“Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing.”

The sons of God answer to this character. Unity, compassion, love, prevail among them - even now.

Bro Robert Roberts

Bro Green Mumbelunga (Ndola, Zambia)