Tuesday, December 7, 2021
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:3-11
I watched a TV show recently where one of the main characters, a
lawyer, gets a middle-age wakeup call.
As an opportunity of a lifetime to advance her career presents herself,
she hires a campaign strategist to test the waters for a run at public
office. Eventually the idea is scrapped
because the strategist discovers the “likability factor” just isn’t there. To be “electable” these days, the public wants
more than just competence; a candidate must have personality. The strategist probes deeper, and forces the
lawyer to face what her life is really like.
She has almost no friends, does not travel, go to events, or “have a
life” outside of her immediate family. As
for “public appeal” she is just part of the landscape.
With Peter, the likability factor wasn’t even an
afterthought. For the outspoken Apostle,
the more important focus in life is godliness.
He informs his flock that God has placed in their toolboxes everything
needed to turn their lives in a godly direction, to find the pathway to a life
of moral excellence. This aspiration to
focus on building a life that is focused on pleasing God (rather than the
acclaim of personal glory), is fueled by God’s own promises.
Peter lays-out a road map that will take you to the Promised Land of
godliness, the growing of our faith which produces mature, fruitful disciples
of Christ. Notice the progression from
moral excellence to the application of love:
Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence,
and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and
self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with
godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection
with love for everyone.
Like the other apostles Peter was once concerned with seeing Jesus have
an earthly kingdom. Somewhere in the
travels and trials, Peter finally got what Jesus said about a kingdom that is
far greater than any earthly public office or acclaim. He got a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.
For You Today
So, what is the focus of your life?
And what kingdom and King holds your heart?
[1] Title and Other Images: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
