Have you ever had a friend write you a personal letter that shocked you?

Maybe it was unsettling news that caught you off guard, or perhaps you needed confrontation?

While Chuck Swindall recently presented a verse by verse study through Peter's first

New Testament letter, and today on Insight for Living, we're embarking on our next adventure,

this time through Peter's second letter.

According to Chuck, this one is unsettling.

He refers to second Peter as a letter that rattles our cage.

If it weren't for holidays and anniversaries, we'd probably overlook the significant events

they represent.

From notes on the calendar to strings on our fingers, we need reminders

that slow the pace and break the constancy of our everyday routines, don't we?

We need help to stir up our minds so that we recall what's most important in life.

The apostle Peter penned his second letter about one year before he was martyred in Rome.

Peter knew his time on earth was drawing to a close, so he didn't have time to write

about incidental matters.

Under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, Peter chose to remind his readers of essential

themes, the key issues that mattered not only to his first century audience, but also to

all of us here in the 21st century.

My Bible is open to the first chapter of Peter's second letter.

I'll begin reading with four verses that underscore the emphasis Peter had in mind,

and as I do, try to imagine the aging, white-haired apostle seated leaning over his table, pressing

his pen into the parchment.

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