In The Word
Read: 2 Peter 1:1-11
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Peter was a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. This means that he was not serving Christ because he had to, but because he wanted to. A bond-servant was someone who was given the opportunity to leave their master but chose of their own free will to stay. God doesn’t force us to stay in His household; we have to want to be there. My wife stays with me because she loves me, not because I make her. That’s true freedom connected to true love. Are you serving God because you feel you have to or because you desire to? Love allows a choice, and true love makes the right choice.
When we make the right choice to give our lives freely to Christ, a divine power is given to us to walk in the amazing promises of God. God’s love empowers us to handle or walk in anything pertaining to life. As we receive that power and learn how to wield it, our character is changed to look like Christ. As we continue to practice walking in this divine nature, more and more promises are made available to us. As we grow in this maturity, we make fewer and fewer mistakes.
If we have received the same faith as Peter, then our lives should be taking on the divine nature of Christ. We should be experiencing God’s magnificent promises. Are you seeing divine change taking place in your life? If so, keep increasing with all diligence. If not, make the right choice and freely give yourself to Christ.