2 Peter 3:9 - What Is Taking The Lord So Long In Coming Back?
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in
keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He
is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) The Lord isnt really
being slow about his promise, as some people
think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He
does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants
everyone to repent.
2 Peter 3:9 (CWR) This doesnt mean that
the Lord is slow in keeping His promises, or
that He does things only when He gets around to
it. Time has gone on only because of Gods
patience and kindness. He loves everyone, even the
wicked, and He doesnt want anyone to lose out on
heaven but to turn from their sins and be saved.
COMMENTARY PEARL
God is long-suffering, not willing that any
should perish; but His forbearance has a limit, and
when the boundary is past, there is no second
probation. His wrath will go forth and He will destroy
without remedy. 7BC946
COMMENTARY
Your Most Important Decision
The most important decision that youll
ever make is far more important than what career
path you choose or whom you marry, as important
as those decisions are.
No, the most important decision that
youll ever make is what you will do with Jesus
Christ who died on the cross for your sin. He paid
for every wrong youve ever committed, and He
rose from the dead. Now He stands at the door of
your life and knocks. He says that if youll
hear His voice and open the door, He will come
in.
The question is, will you open the door?
Or, will you pretend that you dont see Him?
To refuse to open the door when Hes clearly
there knocking is a rejection. So you can either
open the door and ask Christ to come in, or you
can leave the door closed and effectively say to
Him, I dont want You in my life.
Is that what you want to do? Jesus said,
He who is not with Me is against Me (Matthew
12:30 NKJV). Your choice today is saying yes
or no to Jesus. And heres the result
of your choice: Heaven or Hell.
Hell is real, and the last thing God
wants is for anyone made in His image to spend
time in this horrible place created for the devil
and his angels. You will have to practically
climb over Jesus to get there. But if you are
determined, then God will allow you to pursue the course
you want. And youll have no one to blame but
yourself on that final day.
Instead, what God wants is for you to be
forgiven. God wants you to go to Heaven. He wants a
relationship with you, a friendship with you. And He
wants it to start now. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] mod
New Day, New Opportunity to Fulfill Your
Mission
God only uses imperfect, broken people.
If God only used perfect people, nothing would
get done because perfect people dont exist!
If youre willing to be used by God, he
will use you no matter what youve done in the
past. Your mission hasnt changed.
Jonah was an ordinary guy who didnt
even want to do what God told him to do. Yet God
gave him another chance, and he did what hed
been called to do.
Even though he obeyed God, Jonah carried
out his assignment with a bad attitude. Yet God
still used him.
God gave Jonah a seven-word sermon: In
forty days Nineveh will be destroyed! (Jonah
3:4 GNT). That simple message led to one of the
largest spiritual revivals in history. A huge city
humbly turned to God. Its really a bigger
miracle than getting Jonah out of the belly of a big
fish.
God used this imperfect, reluctant
prophet to lead an incredible revival.
God was patient with Jonah and never gave
up on him. God wont give up on you either.
The Bible says, [The Lord] is being
patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be
destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9
NLT).
If you wake up tomorrow morning, it means
God is giving you one more day - another
opportunity - to fulfill your mission.
Expect God to use you. And he will.
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
"If there is a God and He is good, as you
say He is," someone asks, "why does He allow
suffering in the world? Why doesn't He just get rid of
it?" There is an answer to that question - if
people are willing to hear it. Suffering gets its
start in sin. It's just part of the "package" of
living in a fallen world that has ignored God and
gone its own way. So if God were to get rid of
suffering, He'd also have to get rid of sin. And if He
did that, untold billions of people would be
burnt to a crisp in a nanosecond. Today's
Scripture reads, "He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance." God delays closing the curtain on suffering
and sin because it gives more time for us to
tell people who ignore God about the grace of our
Savior, Jesus Christ. Let's do that today while
there is time.
Lord, please open my eyes to the
opportunities You bring across my path today. If I have
the chance to share a Scripture, put it into my
mind. If it's just a word that's needed, help me
to speak that word. If there is only time for a
friendly smile, help me to smile from the heart. [A
Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry
Libby]
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio:
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
