Two Verses on My Mind Tonight

I spent some time with some young friends last night. (We love parties and fellowship and manage to convince our parents to let us get together fairly often. To give you an idea of how much we like being around each other, two of the girls are going with their youth group for a week mission trip to Mexico, and we are not sure how we'll make it without seeing them. I think we'll all be praying for them a lot.) Being young, most of us are in some stage of the important decision-making for life process.

Some have already gone away. Others are moving on soon. Most are still in high school, wondering where to go to college if they should go to college. Or maybe it should be a term doing missions. Where is Prince Charming for all of the waiting princesses? Questions like that aren't often discussed until decisions are made, but while we're pondering the questions, we're thinking of our friends.

What have they meant to us? How will we go on when one leaves? How would we ever make it without any of them - if we left? Can we plan a reunion? What about matchmaking? Could we ever end up related to almost everyone? (This was my plan in high school; didn't work.)

So one of my friends said that the other day she realized that in 90 years, we'll all be in the same place. And that puts life right now in perspective. As I prepared for Sunday school, I found this verse in 2 Peter: "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness...?"

We were working on the application point of this verse last night as well. With all the fellowship we wonder about our speech. At a summer camp several of our party attended earlier this year, a talk was given on "cutting remarks." There was some rule, some dire consequence enforced if you were caught making a "cutting remark." Now it is the standing comment made to warn anyone present against being unkind. Sometimes it is a joke, willfully misinterpreting someone. Many times, though, it is that gentle (in a bold, playful way) reminder of Ephesians 4:20: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it miay impart grace to the hearers."

To God be all glory.