1 Peter 4:7 (link to v1-11)
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”
There are only two things that are certain in this life, death and taxes. Blah, blithering blah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Most folks prepare for tax season once a year, and death twice a year (Creasters or CEO’s – Christmas and Easter Only). Since I’ve filed my taxes already, and my work this late into the year is still paying for my share of the governments to run amok, and because this blog is about Christ, not government, I’m gonna focus on the first part of the statement, the death part.
We all have a 100% chance of dying. Not even a weatherman can get that one wrong. But, then what? The statement might not be so pithy if we got real and added: And after death, there’s judgement. It kind of puts the taxes part into perspective and the death part gains the significance it should. Our end can come at any time, and if we want the judgement to go in our favor, we need to give it more effort than we do the tax man or CEO’s.
Peter lays it out pretty clearly: v6 the gospel was preached so we might live according to God in our spirit, or soul, or core, but our body is still to live according to the rules of humans; v5 we’ll have to give an account to Him; v3 for all the debauchery and nastiness in our lives.
There’s the judgement part, brought to you by Peter, someone who was there, part of the original boots on the ground for Christ. It really matters, this death thing, and especially what follows.
However: v1 Christ suffered for us, we must stand up and do the same; we should not be ashamed and not be intimidated by v4 the assist they heap upon us; v8 we need to love each other, love everyone, deeply; v9 offering housing, comfort, food; v10 with the gifts, the blessings, God has given us. We need to more than tithe because we’re called to do more than tithe.
So, just like the Jewish church and state were destroyed shortly after this was written, so must our life. We can increase our odds at judgement to 100% in our favor if we v11 speak as one who speaks the very words of God, serve with the strength of God, so that through all these things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. Love, serve, live like Christ did for us, in His name, for His glory.
Some day the party will be over here, but the real party, the big party, is just waiting for us to get over there.
Just broken 