The Needed Thaw/Live It!

Ever feel like you need a thaw?
So much of what the world throws at a man is supposed to heat him up. And many take the bait, trying to fill the void in their lives. But, reality is that when you pursue what the world has to offer, it just fills that empty space with ice.

The reason? If Christ is the source of light (and warmth), moving away from him by pursuing worldly things only leads to the big freeze.

So the ultimate goal is closeness to Christ. Peter knew what that was like because of the three years he lived with and watched Christ at work on earth. In turn, Peter also knew a deep sense of absence when Jesus died, rose again and then ascended to be at the Father's right hand in heaven.

What then should the believer do in the meantime to gain as much closeness to Christ as possible? "...and you will do well to pay attention to it (the word of the prophets), as to a light shining in a dark place..." says Peter in verse 19 of 2 Peter 1. Peter goes on in verse 20 to say that all Scripture originated from God, not by the will or intellect of men.

Follow the reasoning:

• Christ came from the Father, lived among us and confirmed what is told in the Scriptures, and then returned to the Father;
• Christ is referred to as "the morning star," a source of illumination (as are the Scriptures);
• Christ is destined to return to earth some day in full glory;
• In the meantime, we have the Scriptures, which also originated from God;
• The best thing we can do to be close to Christ is to be close to God's Word.

That should be incentive enough for any believer to dedicate himself to a regular time of reading, meditating, and studying God's word.

Reading--There are many read-through-the-Bible programs out there that will help you organize and get you through the entire book in one year. It's a fantastic thing to have a handle on the panorama of the biblical story, beginning to end. If you're a new believer, start with the gospels and read them each several times. That's where the closeness to Christ begins.

Meditate--The Bible doesn't just deliver words. It delivers the Spirit, which is from God. These words are not meant to be hurriedly read. They are meant for reflexion. Spend some time with them. Ask questions and wonder about what is being said. Always accompany the reading of God's Word with prayer to the One who originated it. We need His illumination.

Study--I learned more about the Bible when I taught through the Bible over a six-year period. The reason was the discipline required to develop a lesson that would be interesting to people sitting in a class on Sunday mornings. Studying the Word makes it live. And sharing it helps it to live in others.

So, want some warmth here in this dark place? Look to the source of light. You'll find Him in the Word of God.

The Needed Thaw/Go Deep

The two New Testament letters of Peter were written first to Jewish Christians who were scattered throughout Asia Minor and then to all Christians everywhere.

The first was written to encourage Christians suffering under persecution, with particular encouragement to live godly lives that would be an appropriate picture of Christ in the world. The second letter was written to warn the same Christians about false prophets who would seek to mislead the faithful for selfish, greedy reasons.

Suffice it to say, Peter didn't like false prophets.

But, before he tore into those treacherous teachers, Peter reminded his readers who they were--individuals called by divine power to live godly lives. The route to true godliness was through faith in and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, who provides the power to escape the corruptness of the world and to live a productive, new life.

Peter also encouraged his readers to follow-through on their faith by living out the characteristics that represent faith and godliness. To Peter, the Christian walk begins with a calling from God, continues with a step in faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, and then a committed journey that leads a person to be more and more like Jesus in character and action.

After sharing his most important credential--that of being an eye witness to the ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ--Peter points to one of the most important tools a Christian has to achieve a "rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

That tool is "the word of the prophets," scripture. Peter, having witnessed the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture by Jesus Christ, encourages his readers to "pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19) What an incredibly beautiful metaphor coming from the mind of an uneducated fishermen.

If you've ever been in a dark place and then seen a glimmer of light, you can't keep your eyes off it. So it should be for Christians who live in a rather dark world. Scripture is a source of illumination when we are blinded by the darkness of a fallen and corrupt world. God's Word is a comfort in a very cold place.

Read chapter one of 2 Peter again and then, Friday, let's cover how scripture is such a transformational resource in the life of a believer.

The Needed Thaw/Think About It

There is an aspect of Colorado winters that I really like.
When winter hits here, we'll get several inches to a foot of snow in one quick burst. But within a day or two, it's gone. If not from everywhere, it's a least melted from the streets.

The reason? The light of day. Whatever the sunlight reaches, it thaws. And sunlight barelling through the thin atmosphere close to the mountains is very intense.

This dawned in my life one wintry day while sitting in a parking lot waiting for a line of cars to move out onto the main street. I looked over towards some landscaping and noticed that the snow on the grass was in the exact shape of an evergreen tree.

My first reaction was that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to create a tree outline in the snow on the ground. And then I realized that the snow was only spared because it was in the shadow of the tree, protected from the warming rays of the sun. Where the sun had turned ice particles into liquid nourishment, little sprigs of green grass were beginning to show.

Now get this picture in your head: In darkness, the coldness of winter is the standard. Only snow and ice exist there. Life is held back, because freezing temperatures don't encourage the things required for growth.

Only when the sun hits a surface with its warming rays does the cold thaw and life begins to emerge.

I want to explore a particular Bible passage using this imagery as a context. You'll find it in 2 Peter. The specific verse is 1:19, but you'll want to read the entire first chapter if you can.

Read it, and we'll open the discussion on Wednesday.