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| Don't Give Up - the toolkit |
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In my online Bible Study, today's passage comes from 2 Peter 1:2-11 I am constantly amazed how God brings truth into my life, and how scripture backs up scripture. Just on Sunday I heard this fabulous and encouraging message from Major Amy, and this morning God equips me to apply her message to my life in a very real and powerful way! God is so very good, and He has impressed upon my spirit to share this newfound knowledge with fellow believers. This is a DEEP study, and I suggest if you plan to read what I've written below, that you set aside some time to really digest and contemplate it. I would also ask for you to comment with your own spiritual insights!
1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
beginning with verse 2, we receive grace and peace through the knowledge of Jesus our Lord. Our knowlege of Jesus grows as we mature in our walk with Him. In order to gain the knowledge that brings grace and peace, we must diligently study His Word. It is a sacrifice. Sometimes we must forgo watching tv, playing video games, surfing the internet, and other types of activities and give to God the time He deserves.
verses 3-4, glory and virtue...Divine Power... His glory attracts believers to Him. His virtue is His moral excellence that awed His disciples. His Divine Power is what enables us to escape corruption that is in the world through lust. The equivalant to corruption is moral ruin. The lust referred to is "perverted desire." Because we have become new creatures in Christ, we already have the power to overcome the sinful nature of the flesh! Claim the victory you already have!
"Fruitful Growth in the Faith" Here's where we receive the tools to apply Major Amy's message! In order to claim victory in the faith that God is able to do the impossible, this is where we begin...
verses 5-7, add to your faith, virtue... faith is the beginning of our Christian walk. Through faith in Christ, we are granted eternal life. Once we have faith, we are granted virtue. Virtue and purity are things we cannot produce on our own, we need the Holy Spirit in us in order to access this character trait of Christ.
to virtue, knowledge... Practical Wisdom is obtained by dedicating ourselves to learning God's truth in the Scriptures and putting that truth into action. Psalm 111:10 {look it up}
to knowledge, self-control... this is to master one's emotions and the sinful nature rather than being controlled by them. Knowledge and truth from Jesus frees us from the bondage that is the corruption of the flesh.
to self-control, perserverance... one who exercises self-control will not easily succumb to discouragement or the temptation to quit! Now we're getting somewhere. Don't give up! Keep on trying! Keep your faith in Christ who can do all things! Viewing all circumstances as coming from the hand of a loving Father who is in control of all things is the secret of perserverance!
to perserverance, godliness... we must be continually aware of God's presence. Knowing that all of our life is in His hands should influence every aspect of our life. We should live for God and not for ourselves.
to godliness, brotherly kindness... this is the kind of love that God shows to us. It involves serving one another, and praying for one another.
to brotherly kindness, love... God loves, because He is love. We are to love because we are from God. Such love reaches beyond the Christian community to anyone, anywhere, seeking that person's good - even at a cost to ourselves.
verse 8, neither barren or unfruitful... the presence of the qualities listed in verses 5-7 marks a healthy Christian and assures productivity in our lives.
verse 9, he who lacks... shortsighted... blindness... the lack of fruitful growth in a believer's life may indicate shortsightedness, a person that is only looking at earthly and material things and is not realizing eternal spiritual realities. Concerned with only this present life, such a person becomes blind to the things of God, forgetting the wonderful abundance that comes through a close relationship with Christ.
verse 10, be even more diligent... you will never stumble... keeping fruitful growth in faith requires diligence. It is a constant effort, through sacrificial persistance of faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perserverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Self-denial is a word that isn't used very much any more in the Army. We should bring it back and reveal the power that it has! The best part of this verse, never stumbling. If we are diligent to put into practice what we learn from our study of God's Word, we have POWER over the enemy, who only wants to destroy us. We will never stumble! How wonderful is that?
and finally verse 11, entrance... abundantly into the everlasting kingdom... the significance here is how we will enter into the kingdom of heaven. Do we want to just barely make it in, by the skin of our teeth? (that phrase is so weird, but I guess we all know what it means!) Our deepest desire should be to enter in by fruitful and faithful living which will be rewarded by greater priviledges and rewards in glory (Rev. 22:12)
Final note - If just one person receives a blessing from this 'blog' then it will have been worth the effort. I did get the rapid heartbeat that indicated to me the Holy Spirit's push to write this out. So I obeyed. |
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