“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world cause by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4
Yesterday we explored the fact that, by His sheer goodness, God gives us life. This is incredibly important to our lives as Christians, as this God-empowered life keeps us from corruption.
How does this God-empowered life work? These two verses say it’s through 1) “the knowledge of Him” and 2) “His very great and precious promises.” Our relationship to God is directly linked to the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). As we get to know God and surrender areas of our life to Him, God works more and more in us, renewing our mind and transforming us into the people He wants us to be. But this starts with getting to know God.
Secondly, His promises give us the knowledge and fulfillment for life. How does this work? Understanding God’s promise to never leave you (Hebrews 13:5) means you shouldn’t be looking for other substitute. Understanding God’s promise to work out everything for those who love and serve Him (Romans 8:28) means we don’t have to worry or fret about the situation. God’s many promises are throughout the entire Bible. I think our problem is that we don’t know many of His promises. (This links back to the first concept of the knowledge of Him).
How are you relying today on God’s power in your life? What promise of God do you need to dwell on today? Are you getting to know Him?
JR
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“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3
God has given us everything we need. Everything. We have nothing to lack. Through the very power of God, we have everything we need to live AND to live a godly life. We don’t need other stuff. We don’t need worldly fulfillment. Everything we need comes from God’s power.
Verse four continues, “Through these [His own glory and goodness] He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” The emphasis from both verses is on God’s goodness. There’s no reason He should show us favor after our rebellion against God. But in the very glorious grace of God, he offers us life. It’s always been about Him and will forever be about Him.
Do you see how important this is? Verse Four tells us that through this God-empowered life, we 1) participate in the divine nature and 2) escape the corruption of the world. What corrupted (and still corrupts) the world? “Evil desires.” When we (both Christians and non-Christians) live outside of God’s plans for our lives, our desires are impure and only lead to corruption.
How is the knowledge that God alone is the source of everything you need play out in your life today? What areas of your life do you need to submit to God?
(To Be Continued)
JR
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“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)
We are chosen by God as His treasured possession. Wow, when I look at myself I do not see a treasure, but God does. My value in life comes from my relationship with the Lord. My value does not come from stuff, it does not come from other people, and it does not come from me. It comes from the word of God and He treasures me more than any of the other things I can think of to find value in myself. He chose me while I was still a sinner, in actuality before me as me (think on that for a while to find your worth, Psalm 139, enjoy). Realize we need to work on things to demonstrate our heart for God through obedience, but our worth is already established long ago in Jesus Christ our savior.
Blessings, LT
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“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
The Shema as it is called by the Jews is a key prayer in life. How about you? Are you loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength? Is everything about you directed toward that goal? Or do you have strong holds that you hold from God because I need some me time. Are you in a place that teaches you to love the Lord with all you have? Do you surround yourself with friends who lift you up or put you down? Do you encourage others to love the Lord by your words, your actions, and your heart? Has the word of God been bound to you as a normal part of your life. That without the word of God you would feel like you could not breath. Do you thirst like the deer for the water and are you like a tree planted by the water for the word of God? I pray today that you meditate on these things and that your heart will turn to truth.
Blessings, LT
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And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ( Matthew 25:40)
How we live our lives with others matters. The world God has put us in deserves our love and service. It is the least that we minister to for no pay back that truly reflects a heart for God. The King will notice who we serve and why we serve. Have you ever walked by someone in need to buy a $4 coffee? It is a reflection of our culture and our attempt to be right with the world. How about being right with the King? Can you put off that new whatever, use the old and give your money, your time, your heart to those in need today? How about that person sitting alone at lunch? How about that person alone in the crowd that just does not fit. That thinks loudness and rudeness is the way to make friends. You matter, who you serve matters and we all serve someone or something. Serve well today.
Blesswings, LT
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His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21)
We all desire to hear these words. Well done, good and faithful slave. That is our need from the Lord to be recognized by our Master and acknowledged as worthy. We desire that from our Dads, our close friends, our spouses, it is part of our design to be worthy. Here God lays out the ultimate self worth. The Master addressing you and saying you are worthy and being rewarded in the process. We spend a lot of time looking to others for these same words. Jesus is the ultimate one to find our worth in. He provides the strength we need and love we need as we feast on the scriptures and begin to understand how great the Father’s love for us. It’s all good to be recognized by others, but that is not my worth. It is to be transformed and conformed to the mind of Christ that gives me worth. I am a new creature in Christ and dead to my old self. Consider that today as you go through the basic steps of your day. You are Christ’s creation, enjoy!
Blessings, LT
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For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)
All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved, beautiful and simple. It is a call that has been around from the time of creation. Call upon the Lord and be saved. Look at the following verses. There must be belief on who you call on and you have to have heard about who you will call on, and someone has to do the preaching in order for you to hear. Someone has to send the preacher to speak, so you may hear and believe, so you may call on the Lord. How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. Those who have been sent to share the hope they have in Christ. Dear friend, if you are a believer, that is you. You are free to share the good news. You are free to do ministry. Don’t drag folks to church to hear the good news, deliver it yourself and they will out run you to church (believers gathered, not the building, you are the church). This very day, you are sent to preach, that they may hear and believe. So go!
Blessings, LT
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And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14
The Bible records for us 5 different instances of praise being given to God for the birth of the Christ. The first instance starts off with Heavenly praise, a multitude of angels glorifying God in the middle of a field making the first announcement of the birth of the Messiah to an unknown number of shepherds (Luke 2:8-11). The shepherds, after witnessing this great choir, ran to Bethlehem to see this miracle for themselves; and found the child just as the angels had told them (Luke 2:16). The shepherds, then told everyone what they had heard and seen and praised God for the blessing they had received. (Luke 2:20) All this on the day of His birth.
Then 40 days later the third and fourth instance is recorded. Joseph and Mary travel to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer the sacrifices required by the Mosaic Law and meet Simeon, a righteous and devout man (Luke 2:25-32) who takes Jesus into his hands and praises God for allowing him to see the salvation of Israel and of the whole world. They also meet Anna, (Luke 2:36-38) a widow, who worshiped in the Temple daily; she too gave thanks to God for sending the redemption of Jerusalem and spoke to others concerning who this child is.
The fifth was a group of Wise men from the East who arrived over a year after the birth of Jesus; bringing gifts, paying tribute and worshiping the One they knew was King (Matthew 2:1-12). They traveled a long way and a long time to meet the Messiah, because they knew it was worth the trip. What about you? Are you praising God for the birth of the Messiah? Are you telling others of His birth?
Remember the only reason there is a Christmas, is because God ordained His Son to bring Him praise and glory.
Ever Learning,
T. Price
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And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11
God’s messengers, called angels, got the joyful job of proclaiming the coming Messiah. First to Zechariah, blessing him and his wife with a child and announcing the coming of the Lord:
“and he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:17)
Then to Mary, a virgin not yet married:
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33).
And then to Jesus’ soon to be step-father, Joseph:
“But as he considered these things, behold, ?an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21).
Then finally to the shepherds working in the fields. And as Heaven can contain itself no longer, a multitude of angels join in proclaiming the birth of Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel, the Messiah. Now, after His miraculous entry into our world, God has turned this wonderful privilege over to His church. We are to go into the world proclaiming the Good News of the now come Savior, and we are to announce the soon coming return of Jesus the Christ. Go and proclaim this joyous season that Jesus is born.
Remember the only reason there is a Christmas, is because God made a proclamation.
Ever Learning,
T. Price
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“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)
I very recently became a grandparent for the very first time. As I was holding my grand-daughter, only about 2 hours old, I once again realized just how small and helpless we come into this world. Then I thought about God coming as a man, but not just as a man but as a baby. A Baby! God, unable to hold up his head, speak or do anything for himself, totally dependent upon his parents. The creator of the very universe around us humbled Himself to this. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8).
God the son in His great love for us and devotion to glorifying the Father, laid aside His Devine privileges and came as a baby. He left His Glory in Heaven to come to a hostile world that would reject Him, He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. (John 1:11). A world that would want to kill Him, Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16). Yet through all this He trusted His life to the Father, to a plan that would save His people; the Messiah wrapped in cloth, lying in a feeding trough, all for His glory.
Remember the only reason there is a Christmas, is because God became humble.
Ever Learning,
T. Price
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