The End of Things Is at Hand

This past Sunday morning we looked at what the apostle Peter had to say about “the end of things.” It is “at hand,” and that should make a difference in our priorities.  Like a spiritual bucket list, there are some things of eternal value that become more important in view of the end: prayer, loving others, practicing hospitality, and using the unique opportunities that the Lord has given us to build up others (1 Peter 4:7-11).

Those unique opportunities are related to our spiritual gifts: a gracious ability to serve, given to each believer by God, for everyone else’s good.  Peter says that some of these gifts have to do with talking about God and others with serving in His name, but whatever the gift, his emphasis is that we actually use it!  The way that relates to “the end of all things” is that our ultimate priority is to bring God glory, and when we build others up spiritually, they in turn give glory to God.

So here are some things to think about:

• If I knew that the end will come next month, or in a few months, what are the things that eat up my time that would suddenly fall away, and what things have I been putting off that would become top priority?  Am I ready to put “building up others” toward the top of that list?
• What is a time recently that I have said or done something that ended up making a difference in someone’s life, and what are some ways that I can do that same thing more, either within the church or the community?
• Is there an opportunity that I have been saying “no” to that, in fact, I really know ought to be a priority?  Or at least something I should try out to see if it ends up bringing God glory, even if I don’t expect it? Just say “Yes!”