Make Certain About His Calling

I generally read a chapter or two or three in the morning and the same in the evening... kind of depending on the point at which I feel "fed". It generally ends up being more reading when I am weakest because I don't feel like I really getting it like I should be and so I figure the little bit that I am getting will add up as I read more. So thankful for the Spirit working in my heart when I am weak. The last few days have been kind of the opposite to some extent... I have been stuck on 2 Peter 1. Every aspect of it is absolutely brilliant! I have been reading it several times throughout the day for the last few days and I get more out of it each time. I highly recommend that you read the whole thing, but I am just going to go ahead and put verses 2-15 here.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

His grace and peace become multiplied to us when we have a true knowledge of Christ... specifically in knowing that He has given us absolutely everything we need to life godly lives. He has given us this amazing blessing so that we could flee from sin and be diligent in our faith (and not in the general term for faith... the James... faith without works is dead type of faith)... producing the fruit of the Spirit. Love must be at the center of our actions. The two greatest commandments are fixed on loving God and loving others. I just love that promise in verse 8... if these qualities are yours and are increasing (we must always be moving forward), we will never be useless or unfruitful! It doesn't make any sense to live any other way... it would be like we forgot that He rescued us from sin! Oh how I need these reminders daily... I am by nature so short-sighted and in desperate need of His continual work in my heart to cause me to move forward in knowing Him, believing Him, and obeying Him. In pressing on in these areas, we obtain confidence in His choosing of us for His purposes... and not only that, when we are doing these things, we will not stumble!

I love the passion of Peters message here... he is reminding them of these things hoping that even after he dies, they will remember these things and live no long for themselves but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

It is such a blessing knowing that it is not ultimately us doing the work.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

I look forward to the day when that work is complete, but He is doing that work in me now. Let's press on to know the Lord!