1 Peter 4:7-9 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be
self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly,
since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
If you knew that the world was going to end in 30 days or
that you were going to die tomorrow, how would you spend your last month or
day? Are there things you would start or stop doing? Are there people you’d be
sure to talk to or others you’d no longer care about? I think each one of us
would do things differently if we knew the end was near.
This part of the chapter Peter has a reached a point that
he’s giving some instructions and these verses are just some bullet points of
instruction. Why is he giving these instructions? The beginning of verse 7 he
says the end is coming. Jesus could return at any moment. We don’t have any
guarantee that we get to live to see tomorrow or next month or next year. Then
again it could be another 50 or 100 years before Christ returns. We don’t know
exactly when it happens, but Christ could return at any moment. How are we to
live in light of that? Here are some of Peter’s suggestions:
First, “be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of
your prayers.” Don’t ramble on praying about things that don’t matter. Pray for
your unsaved friends and family. Pray for boldness in reaching out to them.
Pray that people from every nation would know Jesus is Lord. Be intentional in
praying for things that matter in light of eternity. (I’m not saying that we
aren’t to go to God in prayer with small things. We read all through the Psalms
of David crying out to the Lord with all sorts of emotions he was dealing with.
Just don’t be so focused on yourself that you forget to also pray for the big
things.)
Next Peter tells us to love one another. He makes a big deal
of this. He emphasizes this “above all” of the other things. Why? “Love covers
a multitude of sins.” I think we can use that verse a bit flippantly at times.
But don’t read it too quickly without paying attention to what Peter is saying.
Love people- even when they sin (purposely or accidentally, knowingly or
unknowingly). You are not God to judge them for the things they are doing. You
are to love them! Loving them can look different for different people. It can
be praying for them, lending a listening ear, disciplining them, teaching them,
serving them, or as Peter mentions in verse 9, being hospitable.
Being hospitable is all about being generous and inviting to
people—we often use it in reference to how we treat guests to our home. So you
can see how that’s another way to love people.
So as suggested by Peter, keep in mind that Christ could
return at any moment. Pay attention to the things that you are doing and think
about whether they make an impact in light of that. Don’t be so focused on
yourself that you miss out on opportunities to love others.
1) If you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow, what would
you do? What if He returns next month? Next year? In ten years?
2) What do your prayers look like?
3) How do you show people you love them?
4) Take some time to pray and journal about this passage.
