Another season of Advent is here, and for us as Christians who observe it, it brings together both a beginning and an ending. It begins the liturgical calendar/Christian year, and prepares us to be watchful and ready for the end of this dispensation, so that, we may be ready for the return of the Lord Jesus. Such important themes necessitate adjustment of our lifestyle and values as we assess our fruitfulness in the light of God’s manifold blessings and expectations.

Our particular focus for this Advent is to pay close attention to how the Apostles of the Lord Jesus prepared for their own exit from this life and prepared the believers whom they shepherded to continue in the faith.

Apostle Peter addressed his second and final epistle to believers he described as “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours,” (2 Peter 1:1). He called that letter a reminder in view of what he disclosed as a revelation from Jesus that his time of departure from this earth was close (vv12-14; 3:1-2). When he faced the same situation, the Apostle Paul also used words like: “guard,” “remind,” “entrust,” “be ready in season and out of season.” Apostle Jude has the same vocabulary like “remind,” “contend,” “remember,” “build yourselves up,” “keep yourselves in the love of God,” and then goes on to pray committing them to the God who is able to keep them from falling, and to present them “blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.”

In the letters of Christ to the churches in Revelation, the frequent admonition is that He is coming soon, and those who had problems should do something urgent and serious about them, while those who were on course were encouraged to hold on to what they had so that no one takes it from them.

We now return to Apostle Peter’s second letter, so that, we can draw some inspiration from the concerns he addressed. For his recipients, who were confronted with persecution from the unbelievers, and false teaching from those who claimed to be believers, there were some essentials, which still remain timeless for the Christian life. He pointed out what the Almighty God had done for those who put their faith and trust in Him: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire,” (2 Peter 1:3-4, ESV).

When Christians go through trying times, it is easy to forget the great things God has done to save us from sin and deliver from the power of Satan. We become so preoccupied with our circumstances and afflictions that we very easily lose focus on the God of love. Apostle Peter considered it an important foundation for their faith to always have in mind what God has done. He alluded to God’s divine power, which immediately highlights the fact that the power behind the Christian life is mighty and divine. In the same way, John the apostle, writes, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,”(1 John 4:4, ESV).

The hymn writer, Mary Peters, writes: “Precious is the blood that healed us, perfect is the grace that sealed us, strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, all must be well.”

The apostle also states that God has granted us His precious and very great promises. The promises of God are not weakened by human nature or by circumstances, or by the power of the enemy.

They are precious and very great. In these days of many uncertainties, Advent calls us to refocus our faith and attention on Him who cannot fail. When we do so, we become partakers of the divine nature; we begin to desire the things that please God and we shall no longer be slaves to sin, but have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. This Advent, let us each resolve to stand firm in our faith in the unchanging God, even through changing and trying circumstances. Never forget the power behind your Christian life.