2 Peter 1:5-7

Growing in the Knowledge of Gods

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. (NLT)

Living your life for Christ benefits you. These promises to your life build you up and they do not tear you down. Each one builds upon the next one. Christ has already given you these promises -- now it is time for you to start applying them to your life in Christ. Your Faith will produce moral excellence. Faith is the first step in your journey and your walk with God.  Faith produces moral excellence, but it does not stop there. Moral excellence leads to knowing God better. The old life disappears and the new life immerges. Knowing God better and knowing His will for you leads you to self-control. Self-control leads you to patience and as you control yourself you learn to wait patiently for God’s voice and God’s will. Patience leads to godliness. Godly living is a life lived for God and God's word. Godliness then leads you to love, to love God more, to love others as yourself. And finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.

The ultimate goal is Love.

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:4

Growing in the Knowledge of Gods

4 And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. (NLT)

By Jesus’ power He has given to us a share in His inheritance, His riches and His wonderful promises. Why? Because of His great love for us. He gave of Himself so that we could have so much more than what we had. Sometimes we miss the meaning of what Christ has given to us; it is not about material things or money but about spiritual things. The things of the Spirit are more important than the things of the flesh or of the world. He may give us material things or money to use but they are in last place compared to the spiritual life. It is your place in Christ to share in His divine nature, to become like Him so that others will see Christ in you.

You will share in His divine nature.

Love is our greatest gift and promise ever received from Christ, yet sometimes it is not at the top of our list as it should be. The Greatest Commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all you have” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love. Our life is now to be lived in Christ, to follow Christ and to know Him more and more every day.

Christ is Love.

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:3

Growing in the Knowledge of Gods

3 As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!

Our journey begins with Jesus, we follow Jesus through this life and it ends with Jesus. While we are here it is our calling and our privilege to know Jesus better and better every day. Jesus’ divine power lives within us and it gives us everything we need to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. This divine power is in us because it is in Jesus and through faith in Christ it molds and shapes us to be a reflection of Him. We have been called and to share in the inheritance of His glory and goodness. It is not something we keep to ourselves but it is something that is to flow out of us and to flow to others as well.

Jesus has called us and has given us everything we need to live a godly life.

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:1-2

This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to all of you who share the same precious faith we have, faith given to us by Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, who makes us right with God.

2 May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord, better and better. (NLT)

 

Peter humbles himself before Christ. He knows his place before Jesus, do you? Peter sees himself as equal among all believers and that we all share the same faith, faith given to us by Jesus. Even though Peter was an apostle in a leadership position he never held it over anyone. As we humble ourselves before God, obey Him and follow Him, He will bless you, give you special favor and wonderful peace. This does not mean life will be smooth sailing but that He will be beside you through all of life’s trials and you can rely on His peace and joy through it all. No matter what, Jesus is right there with you.

Come to know Jesus, our God and our Lord, better and better every day.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

Words of Encouragement

 

John 3:16-17

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.  (NLT)

 

Believe. A verb, an action word: to accept that something is true or real, to have trust.

God sent Jesus to give eternal life through His death, burial and resurrection. The reward of belief in Christ is eternal life. God loves you so much that He provided a way to Himself by expressing His love through Jesus Christ. God make it very simple and uncomplicated. There are no hoops to jump through, no money to pay, no merit system to achieve eternal life, just believe. Jesus does not condemn you, He does not point out your sin because you already know your sin and He does not reject you but accepts you just the way you are and right where you are at.

If you have not believed in Christ what are you waiting for? Take action! Today is the day. Believe in Christ, receive eternal life and enjoy the abundant life that Christ has waiting for you.

To believe you must take action.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

James 1:26-27

26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. (NLT)

 

Can you control your tongue? Do you choose your words carefully? If we do not control our tongue and the words we use then we are being foolish. Our words should line up with Jesus’ words. Our lives and our speech should reflect the Lord Jesus Christ living in and through us. It should not reflect the world we live in because we have been called to be different from the world. We have been called out of this world and into the light to be a light unto this world for Jesus Christ.

What is pure and lasting religion? It means living a life in the sight of God the Father and the Lord Jesus that is not corrupted by the world. The outward working of that life in Christ is to care for others, orphans, widows and those who have troubles in this life. This life is not an easy life, God never said it was going to be easy but that it is hard, very hard but the end result is very much worth it. We will get to spend eternity in the presence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Be eternity minded.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

Psalm 1:7-1-6

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.

2 But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.

4 But this is not true of the wicked. They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

6 For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction

(NLT)

 

It is Joy not to follow the wicked, sinners, scoffers or this world. All that they have to offer is temporary and lead to death. Their place has been determined, they are headed to destruction and they have no place among the godly in Christ.

But, the godly in Christ their delight is doing everything God wants them to do. They love his word and are in it day and night. They bear much fruit in its season and they prosper wherever they go and whatever they do for God is their life. The Lord watches over every step of those who have believed and trusted in Him.

Joy is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ wherever He takes you.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

Colossians 3:7-1-4

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. 3 For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (NLT)

Paul tells us here to set your sights on the realities of heaven. Heaven is real and we are to be heavenly minded -- not thinking a lot about things here but the things in heaven. Heaven is our final home and here on this earth it is only temporary. Your new life is in Christ, you died with Him, you were buried with Him, you were raised with Him, He is your inheritance and He is your real life. It is Jesus who you now live for and it is He who is to be the central focus of your life. One day you will be in the presence of Jesus forever and will share in all His glory. Share this life with others and let them know that they too can have this life with Christ.

Let Heaven fill your thoughts.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ