Okay, confession time. I have to admit I let something escape my notice.
And I wasn’t supposed to.
In fact the Bible says, Don’t let this fact escape your notice.
I let that escape my notice, too.
I’m starting to see a pattern here… my notice has holes in it.
Anyway, it’s on my radar now, and I’m noticing like crazy.
Here’s what I’m talking about…
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8).
Oh, that.
We all know what that means, right? God sees history as a fleeting second. What looks like forever and a day to us is just a microsecond to God. Jesus is coming soon – but “soon” to God may seem like an enormous long time for us. I’ve even heard this verse used to try to reconcile the claims of evolution and a six-day story of Creation.
But something else escaped my notice. Sure, my thousand years is like a day to God. But the opposite is also true – my day is like a thousand years.
Welcome to your daily millennium.
A Thousand Years of Impact
How would you approach this day – the only day you have any guarantee of – as if everything you said, did, thought, or responded to would produce a thousand years of impact? Would it change anything?
What if every thought you entertained – good or bad – carried millennial-scale results? Would it change your thinking?
What if God multiplied your attitudes so that you and the rest of the world got to experience them again and again for a thousand years? Would you want a thousand years of the attitude you have right now? A thousand years of bitterness? A thousand years of mulligrubs? A thousand years of whining “why me”? Or maybe a thousand years of laughter, gratitude, or excitement?
What if every word you spoke carried a thousand-year imprint, not just on your heart, but on the hearts of all who hear? Would it change your language? Your idle words? Your conversations? Would it prompt you to speak up rather than remain silent, or shut up rather than live with those words over and over again for ten centuries?
What if every penny you handled today produced thousand-year consequences? Would that influence how you consumed, invested, gave or obligated yourself?
What if the simplest act of service – something as tiny as giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty stranger – somehow blew up into a thousand years of living water for you and those you love? Would it prompt you to serve more?
A Thousand Years of Opportunity
Regardless of when you are reading this, you have what’s left of this day and a full day tomorrow to create a millennium of influence. So what do you want to create?
True confession: the first thing that popped into my mind in answer to that question is “love.” I want to create an environment of love. So here’s the beauty of this principle. Regardless of what it may appear to be to my natural eye, I can create a thousand years of love tomorrow by demonstrating a day of love today.
I happen not to feel very well today. But I have the opportunity to generate a thousand years of rest, wholeness, and energy by what I choose to do with those under-the-weather feelings.
Do you realize what an opportunity you have to release a hundred decades of grace? That’s the difference your one act of forgiveness can make.
How about a thousand years of prosperity, however you choose to define that? Sure. It’s a scriptural concept. What if you spent a thousand years receiving back what you gave today to worship God or meet a need?
A Thousand Years of Reaping
Hang with me here, and don’t interpret this literally….
What’s your favorite Bible promise that carries a condition? Here’s a simple one: Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full (John 16:24). Wanna have a little fun? (You can do that with the Bible, it’s OK.) Add the phrase “for a thousand years” to your favorite promise from scripture. Here it would read, “Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full for a thousand years.” Wow! One answered prayer… a thousand years of joy.
Sorta makes me want to ask the Lord for some things, how about you?
On the other hand, what if every time you lost your temper and blew up at somebody, both they and you felt the force of that for a millennium?
Yikes!
Or what if you inherited a thousand years of mindless channel surfing or selfie gazing? That’s something to look forward to.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap”(Galatians 6:7). Tack a thousand years onto that, and it may give you pause to consider what it is you’re sowing today.
Tick… tick… tick. In the few minutes you’ve been reading this and the clock has ticked the seconds away, I’ve been doing some sowing of my own – into you. And I’m crazy enough to believe that you can generate a thousand years of reaping or more by the choices you make in response.
What do you want to reap? What seemingly simple or forgettable act could you sow today in order to receive that back from the Ultimate Economist and Investment Advisor with a thousand-fold return? This is no Fatherly nod or pat on the head. This is a lavish celebration from an eternally wealthy God who knows how to throw a party and can afford the bill. And you can be the guest of honor!
And here’s the really crazy part – assuming you live to see another day, tomorrow you get another one of these.
So welcome to today’s millennium. What do you say we start a party in heaven? And when we’ve been there ten thousand years, we’ll just be getting started.
Wow! You truly made me sit up and take notice with this post, Andy. Definitely gives clarity and purpose to the words we speak and the deeds we do each day.
Blessings!
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