The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3

The Second Letter of St. Peter

 Chapter 3

¹ This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you ² that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles.

(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verses 1 to 2)

Oh God my Father many times we are stuck in the past and can never focus on the here and now. The present which is a gift from You is now, however, we cannot disregard the past, for from the lessons of the past we can learn to live a better present and future. This is why we are to value the books of the Old Testament as much as those of the New Testament, for in order to understand the teachings of Your Son in the New Testament one needs to be familiar to what took place in the Old Testament.  I thank You for the opportunity to reflect and pray on the books of both Testaments Amen.




³ First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come. scoffing and indulging their own lusts  ⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!"


(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verses 3 to 4)



Oh God, my Father, I believe that we are already living such times. Many are living a life that is alienated from You my, God and Father. I pray for my own self and for my family for we are all at risk of being alienated by computer games that alienate us from investing more time in our spiritual welfare. I pray for Your mercy my God and Father.



⁵ They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, ⁶ through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished.



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verses 5 to 6) 




Oh God my Father, as in the verses, some of us tend to put aside the fact, that You are the Sole creator of the world, the galaxies and all that exists, and that without You none can ever exist or function. Driven by a strong motivation and drive to be a success and to live one's routine of daily life, one puts aside the fact until it hits the person, that there will be a time to leave this earth and come face to face with You my God and Father. Amen. 
 


⁷ But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verse 7) 



Oh God my beloved Father, Your Word can be a means of creation and on the other hand a means of destruction. Both are in Your capacity when the time comes, Amen.




⁸ But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verse 8)




Oh God my Father, You are not limited by time. In fact You have absolute control over it. We may criticise You for taking Your time, when things do not go according to our plans, and when our prayers become the same prayers for this and that without being answered as we may humanly reason, but on the other hand, You are always active and in one second can change our lives to a better one, if this is according to His will. 



⁹ The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verse 9) 




Oh God my beloved Father, I plead for Your forgiveness for many times, I have accused You as being slow to act or intervene in my life, especially during critical  moments when I was impatiently waiting for an answer from You. As You know I am a person who tends to rush in my decisions, especially when I feel sure that I am correct in my decision making process. However I thank You for not always responding instantly, for at times I am also half-hearted and not fully convinced of other decisions and if I would intervene I would cause more harm than good. I pray for the gift of perseverance that only Your Holy Spirit can give Amen. 



¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. 



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verse 10)



Oh God my Father, the day will come when the masterof lies and all his actions will be revealed to the world. Even my good and negative deeds will be exposed, and I will experience the satisfaction of the good deeds that I did with Your help, and also the shameful things I did in my name. Amen. I pray that this day will come even though my weaknesses for ther there is nothing that can be hidden from You Amen.



¹¹ Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? ¹³ But, in accordance with his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. 



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verse 11 to 13)



Oh God my beloved Father I place my trust in You that all that You proclaimed in the Bible will in truth take place. Therefore we are not to invest in the material world, that will come to an end but in the kingdom of heaven Amen. I believe oh God my Father that You have all under Your control. What we theorize about global warming is a fact that has to take place, if the ice caps of the North Pole are melting this is nothing new, for the elements will melt. Apparently the heavens and galaxies and all the planets will be consumed by the flaming Sun, and then You will renew everything again according to Your righteousness. It all makes sense. Some may question the fatal issue, and what shall we do to be saved! Believe in the Lord our God our Father Amen.




¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; ¹⁵ and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶ speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 
 
 

(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 3 verse 14 to 18)




As You said oh God my Father, while in waiting for all these signs and events to take place we are not to be passive or in despair. For there is still much to be done. We are start acting and thinking according to the way Jesus Son of God our Father, would think and behave likewise, love our enemies, forgive those who trespass against us. Spread the Good News of the Kingdom the teachings of the Bible, become witnesses of all that Jesus has done for us. Start focussing more on the kingdom of heaven than on that of the earth, for what is of the earth will dissolve into nothingness by fire, but what is of God will remain forever Amen.  



Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end this third chapter of the second letter of St. Peter with the following prayer:-



Oh God my beloved Father, let me not be alienated by the ways of the world, politics media, and others forms of ways and sources that keep me at a distance from You. Please help me to interpret the signs of the times according to Your holy will and not according to the scientific theory alone. I firmly hold that You are in control of all that happens on earth, and that nothing happens without Your knowledge. I thank You God my Father even for those situations that I do not understand why they are happening. You have all the answers and in time will make them known to me if it is according to Your will Amen.   



In order to continue this meditation and move on to the Letter of St. Paul to Jude I invite you to click on the link below.


The Letter of St. Paul to Jude  





 

The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2

The Second Letter of St. Peter

 Chapter 2

1. But false prophets also among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. 3. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 1 to 3)

Oh God my Father, throughout the years there have been many people in the Roman Catholic Church who preached teachings that were not according to the established teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Many people raised issues about Your dual nature and of Your presence in the Eucharist, however, such people were of a test to the already existing teachings and many other holy people in the Roman Catholic Church such as St. John Chrysostom, guided by the Holy Spirit formulated guidelines for us to follow and to believe in that are watertight and valid up to this very day.


For more information I encourage you to click on the following link:-




Fathers of the Church




The first 1000 years of the Church




4. For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5. and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; 6. and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly, 7. and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless 8.(for that righteous man, living among them day after day was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), 9. then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment 10. especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. Bold and wilful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones, 11. whereas angels,  though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgment from the Lord.

(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 4 to 11)



Oh God my Father even though You are loving and caring, You are also just, and cannot turn away from our sins as if they had never happened Amen. As sinners, we will all experience the consequences of our sins on earth and even in the darkness of hell Amen which is a reality that exists as much as heaven, Amen. I thank You oh god for being loving and merciful Amen.




12. These people however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, 13. suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation while they feast with you.




(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 12 to 13)



Oh God, my Father we are so different from the angels, they are so pure in Your presence and I am so non-pure as a human due to my frailties as a human. Although we have a brain we do not always use it to do good but to act in a sinful way. Mercy oh God on us Amen.




14. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15. They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of doing wrong, 16. but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 14 to 16)



Oh God, my Father I am sorry to say that in 2016 such people still exist and do much harm in their own circles and extended circles. It would have been better for them to leave Your body than to remain there and do harm to others. Even though You talk to us by means of many circumstances, and people at times we are so stubborn that we prefer our ways over Yours, my God and father Amen.




17. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved. 18. For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with licentious desires of the flesh that they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. 19. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them.



(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 17 to 19)



Oh God my Father during moments of crisis, the evil one continues to make the situation worse, by sending us situations that encourage to commit further acts of sin. If in such a situation we do not have You as the rock of our foundation, our situations become more dangerous and we end up becoming slaves of our sinful self, drives, compulsions and even addictions. Such negative drives offer us pleasure, however, such sources of pleasure have bitter endings that are resulting in the breakdown of both the person and one's family, thus endangering the life of that person and or family.



20. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them. 22. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "The dog turns back to its own vomit," and, "The sow is washed only to wallow in the mud."




(The Second Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 20 to 22)



Oh God my Father, whenever we are tempted or inclined or maybe as a form of anger against oneself to go back to our old addictions or sins or negative practices that might include acts of self-harm, we are to stop and consider the fact that You, my God, have already healed us from such negative acts, and that when one door closes it will never open again if not according to our willful decision. We are to look at ourselves in our present state thank God for having delivered us out of our situations and then think if we really and truly would prefer to go back to our former life, instead of advancing to a better and more spiritual and physical productive state Amen.




I invite you to click on the following link:-




Returning to your vomit





Oh God, my Father I feel such a hypocrite, first I seek to build trust and relationship and then I am instructed to tell this person that he needs to make plans to start a new life elsewhere. I feel as I have betrayed such a person. I pray that You heal me from such feelings Amen.




I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:



Oh God my Father loving, caring and always true, I pray that You have mercy on us and our decisions. I thank You for loving me although my ways are not always Your ways. I pray that I will stick to following Your ways and never go back to my old self, that was the Vince who had no relationship with You. I pray that we always look forward and never back Amen.

The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1

 

The Second letter 

of 

St. Peter

 Chapter 1

1. Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2. May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

(The second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verses 1 to 2)

Oh God my Father indeed my faith in You and Your faith in me is the most precious gift in the world that money can never buy. I treasure our relationship oh God my Father more than all the knowledge in the world for me it, is even more precious than life itself Amen. I thank You, my Father, for such a gift Amen.




3. His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4. Thus he has given us, through these things his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness and goodness with knowledge, 6. and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.



(The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verses 3 to 7)




Oh God my Father here the apostle has hit one of my weak areas, for I am very weak in self-control. In this area, I am in need of alot of training and testing so that my endurance will become stronger Amen.


In order to achieve self-control my God and  Father is to learn how to feel, think and behave like You. An important question to ask in a given situation is "What would God do, think and feel in the given situation? How would he behave if He was in such a situation? In order to programme our brains to think on these guidelines, we need to be familiar with the Word of God in order to see how Jesus behaved as a human while still being the Son of God and God. For more details I invite You to click on the following link:-



God and self-control




8. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9. For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.



(The Second Letter of St. Peter verses 8 to 9)




Oh God my Father I thank You for making me aware of the possible sources that may act as blockages between us, for it makes sense that if I let myself behave according to the flesh I may be under the impression that I am living according to Your will but in truth I will be living an alienated life away from You Amen. 




10. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. 




(The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verses 10 to 11)




Oh God, Your calling is the most important even, that ever took place in my life. It is a moment that I treasure all my life, even though there were some who tried to discredit it by reducing it to be only a dream. Even though the calling was not for the priesthood as I thought it was I still thank You and bless Your name. Amen. I thank You for giving me this new vocation that of spreading the message of the 'Good News' around the globe via the internet. I thank You for making me an apostle and witness of these times Amen and for this vocation, I am ready to pay the price even if it means laying down my life for You. Amen.




12. Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. 13. I think right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, 14. since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able  at any time to recall these things.


(The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verses 12 to 15)


Oh God, my Father I thank You for leaving us the Bible which is an all time reference point for us during both the night and the day. I thank You for this availability for I am aware that I constantly need to refresh my memory and experience a great boost in spirit every time I meditate on the Bible. Amen.



 16. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.


(The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verse 16)


Oh God my Father, I greatly thank You for my not putting my trust or belief in theories such as the theory if evolution which was cleverly fashioned by means of Charles Darwin in a fit of rage, after the death of his daughter which he could not accept. Of all the children in the world, Darwin did not accept that You oh God would permit his daughter to die! Therefore in a fit of fury and anger and hurt, he designed to hit back at You by attempting to dethrone You as Master creator and place the focus of creation on the concept of evolution which has convinced many and is even being taught in schools. Glory be to You my God. Amen.



17. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." 18. We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.



(The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verses 17 to 18)



Oh God my Father prayers and songs of praise give You worship, however, complaints and a negative attitude are, totally unhealthy, moreover unhealthy words such as cursing and swearing or making false oaths in Your name is also dishonourable. Therefore I pray that as Your Father had words of praise for You, we are also to lift up our hearts to You in praise and worship Amen.



19. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.



(The Second letter of St. Peter Chapter 1 verses 19  to 20)



Oh God, my Father may Your light shine through us so much that others make an experience of You through us. May You use us as prophets in situations where You choose to send us, and may You give us the message that fits the circumstances in every situation. May You speak through us because there is nobody better than You who can speak the right words because You know our hearts, wishes and thinking even more than we know ourselves. Amen.


Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-


Oh God my Father, I pray for the gift of self-control for in this I still am lacking. I pray that you give me control over my feelings so that I will remain calm in during moments of testing and not loose my temper. I pray for Your peace, Your positive attitude. Moreover I pray to be gradually transformed into the person that You wish me to be Amen.