Final Notice

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”    —2 Peter 3:9

I thought I was on the “no-call” list with the telephone company, but I continue to get repeated messages from telemarketers. One claims to be from a government agency telling me to hurry and take advantage of the financial stimulus before the next billing cycle. It ends with the warning, “This is your final notice.” After the twentieth call, I shouted in jubilation to my wife, “This is our final notice! Maybe they’ll quit calling.” I really expect they will call again.

Another urges me to consolidate my debts and lower my credit card rates. They also end with the message, “This is your second and final notice.” As I hang up the telephone for the umpteenth time, I mutter under my breath, “I sure hope so.”

Most people in our culture believe we will always get a second chance. We procrastinate in registering for everything. Whether it is for a concert, a seminar, or a church dinner, we tend to wait for the last possible day to make sure nothing else might come up that we’d prefer doing before committing to anything. The Church has given in to this culture because we permit people to register two days past any deadline. We don’t want anyone to miss an opportunity. We extend deadlines and make exceptions for almost everyone. Yes, we’ll make room for one more.

Many Christians are expecting Jesus Christ to return soon. We often wonder why God is waiting so long. 2 Peter answers that question by pointing out the Lord’s great love and patience toward us. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (3:9). The telemarketers may be annoying, but you have to give them credit; they are patient and diligent. On the positive side, God, too, is patient and diligent.

A major difference between the telemarketers and God is that telemarketers will probably call us until the end of time, but we have no guarantee that God will call us forever. We can wear out the patience of God. The Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Genesis 6:3). God is definitely the Lord of the second chance (and third, fourth, fifth…), but a day will come when the final notice will be the final notice. Romans 1 describes a time when after continual rejection, “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil” (1:28-29). If we continually reject and ignore the Spirit’s calling us to God, the Lord may give us over to our own desires. I have heard good parents say to wayward children, “Go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

God might give us up to our rebellion, but there is also a day of reckoning. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). There is a day when all things will be final. Telemarketer calls will ring no longer, and our opportunity to turn to Christ and find forgiveness will be lost. Today, if you feel the conviction of sin and know your need of a new beginning with the Lord, you still have a second chance. Don’t miss it. Eventually, our second chances will run out. A final, final notice will be given. Call on the Lord today, He loves you and is more than patient.