Hastening the Coming of the Day of God

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, -2Pe 1:5

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
-2Pe 3:11-12

Again these verses are incredibly convicting about the kind of life I (and all Christians) should be living.

First, we're commanded to supplement faith with virtue. In light of all other Scripture, this is clearly not saying any other than faith is required for salvation. No, this text is written to those who already have faith and a right standing with God. This text is telling how to live after passing from death to life. It's telling us not to stop upon finding faith. Faith in Christ's righteousness is both the beginning and the end of salvation, but it is only the beginning of life! Any (so-called) Christian who says, "I have faith" but doesn't have actions deceives himself and his faith is useless. (Remind anyone else of James?)

Second, we need to have perspective. Everything in this world is going to burn up--except the work we do for the Lord. What a staggering fact! I could solve world hunger, find the cure for AIDS, stop global warming...but it's for nothing if people aren't coming to know the Lord. All those un-hungry people and AIDS victims will still die and spend eternity in hell if they don't know Christ. All global warming advances will be nullified when Christ comes and sets the world on fire.

So should I throw in the towel and stop doing anything because Christ will destroy it all? By no means, but I must be intelligent about what I do. Christ's return should motivate me to work for him, to spread his name and glory throughout the world. It should be my motivation to heal the sick and tell them of the Lord. And when I do my work, I should long for the day when I get to present my offering to the Lord. I should long for the day when he comes and sets the chaff ablaze, and the work I did endures like pure gold!