This was written almost two thousand years ago, so saying the end of all things is near seems removed from the truth. But viewed in eternity the end is near, and for each one if us the end is at most about 70 years away (and a lot closer in some cases!) as far as we are concerned. Our time in this life is time limited. Our response should be to be alert and sober minded, being careful how we live. Isaiah refers to the attitude of his day as "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die". This was an attitude of hopelessness, but we have hope, we have a purpose, therefore we live well.
The primary practical outworking of this is to love one another. "Love covers a multitude of sins". This does not mean we can get away with sin, it does mean that love is essential. We can have all the laws and rules we want, but without love things will not work. Conversely, if love is the driving force, then all sorts of imperfections and failings can be overcome.
We are to be hospitable to each other. Peter's words about doing this without grumbling may indicate that his hearers were not particularly hospitable by nature. We need to have a generous attitude. We are to serve each other with our gifts. We are all given gifts and abilities by God. They are not given for self-promotion, but so that we can serve others. This also means that we should serve with confidence. If we have the gift of speaking then we should speak as if we are speaking the very words of God, not so that we can puff ourselves up, but so that we can build others up.
The primary practical outworking of this is to love one another. "Love covers a multitude of sins". This does not mean we can get away with sin, it does mean that love is essential. We can have all the laws and rules we want, but without love things will not work. Conversely, if love is the driving force, then all sorts of imperfections and failings can be overcome.
We are to be hospitable to each other. Peter's words about doing this without grumbling may indicate that his hearers were not particularly hospitable by nature. We need to have a generous attitude. We are to serve each other with our gifts. We are all given gifts and abilities by God. They are not given for self-promotion, but so that we can serve others. This also means that we should serve with confidence. If we have the gift of speaking then we should speak as if we are speaking the very words of God, not so that we can puff ourselves up, but so that we can build others up.
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