2 Peter 1:1-11English
Standard Version (ESV)
1 Simeon Peter, a servant
and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with
ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be
multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has
granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us
his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in
the world because of sinful desire. 5 For
this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and
virtue with knowledge, 6 and
knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness, 7 and
godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are
yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For
whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having
forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm
your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never
fall. 11 For in this way
there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If
we know God, we know how to handle life.
That is a big statement that sounds kind of simple. Those who think that praying the sinners
prayer and being baptized is all they need to handle life and to be a part of
His kingdom do not know what they are truly missing out on. As we read further in this scripture we
realize that we need to live our life in a manner that exemplifies Christ. That is not to say that we are saved by our
works but it is to say, in order to have a life that confirms our calling we
need to work towards it.
If
I wanted to be a doctor, for example, I would have to gain much knowledge in
the field. I would need to study long,
hard hours, and I would have to be patient as I went through the various
processes of earning that degree. I
would in essence need to supplement my desire with long years of studying in order
to obtain the knowledge that I would need to become a doctor. I can’t just say I want to be a doctor and
immediately be one.
This
holds somewhat true in our faith walk.
Yes, we can ask Christ to be a part of our life but the evidence of a
life for Him comes in our knowledge of Him.
It comes in how we live our lives because of what we know of Him. The more we know, the more we have
self-control, the more self-control we have, the better understanding of how to
hold firm to His promises. The more we
hold firm to those promises, the more we see how much love for our brothers is
needed and fellowship of believers is vital.
As these qualities increase so does our fruitfulness for Him.
As
a child I remember thinking, “How am I ever going to learn all the people in
the Bible?” I would think of being in
Heaven and one of these main characters coming up to me and I would not know
who they were. As I read this scripture
I am reminded that the One I need to know is God. I certainly do not want to stand before Him
and not know Him. That is why I continue
to seek Him through His word. That is
why I write this blog, so that others will also seek Him and know Him. The more we know, the more we want to
know. The more we realize that we are
loved, the more we love others. As you
seek Him today, may you find your calling in Him, to know Him, trust Him, and
seek Him with all your heart.
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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