Countdown to the surgery...
The surgery is on July 18th so we are 12 days away. I have started drinking my advanced recovery drink that is suppose to help before and after surgery. I hope to get results of the CT scan from Friday today. It has been a good week to have our oldest and her husband home. A day on the lake yesterday yielded some pan fish, walleye and a smallmouth bass. This Sunday the church is throwing a benefit potluck for us to help with the medical bills. They have been a source of encouragement and strength to us through all of this.
Further study of 2 Peter 3 yielded some more thoughts. How do we deal with the mockers? How do we handle those who laugh at the things of God? The scoffers usually have 3 tactics.
The first is the tactic of ridicule. Instead of speaking about the issue they turn their sights on the one who holds the position. They mock with their mocking. They use sarcasm and belittling and demeaning techniques. They paint the Christian holding to the Word as anti-intellectual.
The second is the tactic of morality. They hold the position of "no" God because they follow their own lusts. If they can deny the God of the universe and what He says then they can continue to love their sin with no ultimate accountability.
The third is the tactic of uniformity. They say that "all continues just as it was" and nothing is going to ever change. You only have one life and this is it so make the most of it. They actually "shut their eyes" to the facts around them.
Peter gives 4 arguments.
The first is the argument from Scripture. How valuable it is to know the Scripture that Peter holds as "more sure" than anything we have.
The second is the argument from history. The scoffers shut their eyes in this passage to the events of creation and the flood and ultimately the second coming of Christ. They want to create and make up their own history to replace the one that is already in place.
The third is the argument from eternity. God's time and God's view of it all is different than ours. What seems long to us is not long to Him at all. Our lifetime on earth is just a moment in the scope of all time.
The fourth is the argument from the character of God. God's delay is not because He is lazy or has been on vacation or has forgotten about us or is off doing other things. God's character is that He loves and He is patient and He is gracious to delay in our terms is to be waiting and calling for people to repent.
So the study goes on with focusing the phrases "with one word" and "dear friends". I see how each generation has its mockers and scoffers.
Adam
Further study of 2 Peter 3 yielded some more thoughts. How do we deal with the mockers? How do we handle those who laugh at the things of God? The scoffers usually have 3 tactics.
The first is the tactic of ridicule. Instead of speaking about the issue they turn their sights on the one who holds the position. They mock with their mocking. They use sarcasm and belittling and demeaning techniques. They paint the Christian holding to the Word as anti-intellectual.
The second is the tactic of morality. They hold the position of "no" God because they follow their own lusts. If they can deny the God of the universe and what He says then they can continue to love their sin with no ultimate accountability.
The third is the tactic of uniformity. They say that "all continues just as it was" and nothing is going to ever change. You only have one life and this is it so make the most of it. They actually "shut their eyes" to the facts around them.
Peter gives 4 arguments.
The first is the argument from Scripture. How valuable it is to know the Scripture that Peter holds as "more sure" than anything we have.
The second is the argument from history. The scoffers shut their eyes in this passage to the events of creation and the flood and ultimately the second coming of Christ. They want to create and make up their own history to replace the one that is already in place.
The third is the argument from eternity. God's time and God's view of it all is different than ours. What seems long to us is not long to Him at all. Our lifetime on earth is just a moment in the scope of all time.
The fourth is the argument from the character of God. God's delay is not because He is lazy or has been on vacation or has forgotten about us or is off doing other things. God's character is that He loves and He is patient and He is gracious to delay in our terms is to be waiting and calling for people to repent.
So the study goes on with focusing the phrases "with one word" and "dear friends". I see how each generation has its mockers and scoffers.
Adam
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