1Pe 4:7-8 “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
If we do not take this scripture in context, we will conclude that Pete is making an end-of-time prediction. Since we are still here and reading the instruction of God, it is obvious that we have not reached that event. Peter has been telling us about the working of God in our lives and the effect it will have on those around us. He has warned us that some will despise us and treat us badly because of our love for Jesus. We have been warned that we will suffer for this way we call Christianity.
But now he tells us that the end of these things is near. Armed with this knowledge, we are instructed to be of as sound mind (sober) in our faithful worship (prayer). Every day brings us new challenges, and with these comes the promise that God’s mercy is new every morning. We know that His grace is sufficient for us today because it has always been sufficient for us. Be of a sound mind: don’t despair because of the evil around you. Don’t become distracted by the unrighteousness of men. Be diligent in your worship and know that God will bring an end to these things each day, as we are called to face them.
No matter what else is taking place, there should be an intense love within the body of believers! We are being warned here to not let our adversities distract us from loving each other and worshipping God together. Having this charity with each other prevents us from becoming judgmental of our brethren. We are kept back from the trap of biting and snapping at each other because of our anxiety over the things going on in the world. The instruction is that our right-minded worship of God and our right-minded love for our brethren is to take precedent over everything going on around us. We can do this if we understand that God has accomplished the end of all that troubles us today, which troubled us yesterday, and will trouble us tomorrow. This can only happen when we have right-mindedness about the love and the grace of our God.
May we know in our hearts today that there is comfort in God’s city because our warfare is accomplished (its end is at hand-Isa 40:2)!
