As we begin 2013, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this whole idea of “the last day” on earth.  There’ve been a lot of apocalyptic films lately with this theme including the movie “2012” and they were all about fear and dread. On top of that, a bunch of people were worried about December 21^st last year because, according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar, it was to be “the last day” on earth.

Apparently not.

However, there is a “last day” coming. It’s referred to in Scripture as “the Day of the Lord.” But it’s not something for us to dread. It’s something to look forward to! The apostle Peter describes it this way, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:10-13, NIV)

Certainly apocalyptic.  Heavens disappearing in a fiery roar. Earth destroyed and laid bare. Elements melting in the heat. But we’re supposed to be looking forward to that?

Yes. And here’s why. For the believer, it means the final fulfillment of God’s promises.  A new heaven and a new earth.  A home of righteousness. Eternal life with Him. The restoration of all things.  A resurrection. Jesus spoke of “the last day” like this, “For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40, NIV)

So as we begin 2013, let’s live for “the last day.” Not in fear and dread, but in anticipation. Let’s live holy and godly lives, not living for here and now, but for there and then. Let’s look to the Son for everything we need and believe Him for it. Let’s enjoy eternal life now.

I want to thank everyone for  their help in getting the word out about Desperate For Hope. I continue to get emails from folks all over telling how God is using the book to encourage them in their journey and giving them hope for their future. It is both humbling and encouraging.

Psalm 118:1 reminds us, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

True that.

Bruce

What a great book launch! It was fun experiencing the culmination of 3 years of work with the official launch of the book. To God be the glory!

Are you ready for this? As of 6:52 AM on August 2nd, we made Amazon's Top 100 Best-Selling Hot New Releases (#77) in the "Christian Books and Bible" category! We were also ranked at #178 in sales of all books at Barnes & Noble.com. Can you believe that? God is so good!

Thanks to all of our Launch Team members for their hard work. It's not too late to join the Launch Team. See article below for information on how you can help raise $10,000 for missions.

There is a great story about worship told in John chapter four. It's commonly known as the story of "The Woman at the Well." You know, Jesus meets a woman at a local well, talks about living water, tells the woman all about herself, she figures him to be a prophet, a religious discussion ensues, Jesus proclaims himself to be the Messiah, and an entire Samaritan village is reached with the good news of God's Kingdom.

But right in the middle of that story is a brief exchange about worship. She argues that the Jews have it all wrong and the Samaritans have it right. But in verse 22, Jesus flat out tells her "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews."

Not exactly politically correct.

"If you think you are standing firm, be careful you don't fall!" 1 Corinthians 10:12

That particular verse has a whole new meaning for me these days. Recently, I took my family on a 5-day backpacking trip in the High Sierra Mountains of California. My 14-year old son and I had been on several backpacking trips together, but this was my wife's first experience. And I thought I would start her off with an epic 31-mile hike on the High Sierra Trail.

I wanted to make sure that she was comfortable and enjoyed the trip, so I limited her pack weight to about 22 lbs. And since my son only weighs about 70 lbs. dripping wet, I limited his pack to about 15 lbs. However, this meant that I had to carry around 53 lbs., far more than I am accustomed to carrying. I generally hike with around 30 lbs or so. But no big deal, right? I am, after all, an experienced backpacker with over 1,000 miles logged on wilderness trails all around the country.

Wrong.