Continuing in 2 Peter chapter 1 ( http://tinyurl.com/5adcu7 )
Today's focus - verses 5-9: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
We spend a lot of time reading the Scriptures and praying for discernment with tough passages, and that is right and good. And I find that process often brings a particular closeness to God as we rely on Him for understanding.
That being said, I also find great release and relief in very straight forward, explicit passages like this one. In this passage, God tells us, through Peter, how to keep from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge. This is a recipe, like Paul's recipe for peace in Philippians; step-by-step instructions for 'right' knowledge of Jesus.
Follow these steps and be effective and productive.
Ignore them and be ineffective, unproductive, nearsighted and blind, and we will have forgotten that we have been cleansed.
Our choice.
My choice.
Your choice.
Choose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this perspective?
2. Are these steps you can take?
3. What might be the result?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"All men men will be Peters in their bragging tongue,
and most men will be Peters in their base denial;
but few men will be Peters in their quick repentance."
Owen Feltham
No comments:
Post a Comment