2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Daniel 6:1-28 ESV, 2 Peter 3:1-18 ESV, Psalm 119:129-152 ESV, Proverbs 28:21-22 ESV
Daily Verse: “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8 ESV)
AGAPETOS (27): “As an adjective, from agapao (25) means “loved,” is used of Christ as loved by God and of believers, often, as a form of address.”[1]
Loved.
Peter calls his audience beloved because the disciple understands the depth of God’s love for them. Often, throughout the NT, the authors refer to their readers as beloved. Believing God loves us unconditionally challenges people who think they don’t deserve the love God offers.
We will never understand God’s timing as we travel through this life. When life’s burdens weigh you down, and the solution seems simple from your eyes but not God’s, we can become negative. God’s seeming lack of involvement makes you scratch your head. But our concept of time and God’s differ drastically.
Full bloom.
A quote I came across recently made me pause:
“Until our time to bloom, we will for you in the soil, Lord.” Anonymous
Writing the words on a sticky note I have it hanging above my desk. The words remind me that God’s timing and mine don’t match. “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Each day, we come closer to blooming as we pursue life with Christ.
Plant a seed in the soil, and watch as it grows into full maturation. Imagine the darkness surrounding the small kernel; how oppressive it must feel. But in the dark, the beauty begins as sprouts appear and make their way towards the sun, eventually bursting through, the tendrils journeying to their full potential.
Jesus discovers us in the dark, buried in our sins. As we place our faith in Him, new sprouts begin to form. Each day, as we pursue life with Christ, we bloom into God’s beautiful creation, one act of love at a time.
What seems like a thousand years to us doesn’t to God. His timing and ours don’t align most of the time. But one thing remains true; God’s never late or early; He always intervenes at the perfect time.
Take heart today, the journey may seem long, but it will end in the blink of an eye. Full bloom occurs when we receive our perfected bodies in heaven. Trust God’s timing, even if He’s not working on your timetable.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 2) Thomas Nelson
