In Search Of A Better Tomorrow

Time Alone With God daily devotional

Written by Pastor Phil Stout

Friday, June 17, 2016

Read: 2 Peter 1:5-7

2 Peter 1:5-7    New International Version (NIV)

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

Start

Consider: “For this very reason…” What reason? Let’s go back to the statement we considered yesterday.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness… he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature…” (1:3-4)

We have been given all that we need to participate in the divine nature—the very life of Christ. “For this very reason” we are filled with awe, wonder and gratitude. We want to know him more. We want to live in greater intimacy with him. So “for this very reason” we…

“…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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” (1:5-7)

This is a beautiful description of Christian discipleship—of growth in Christ. But Peter is not simply talking about what we do, he’s reveling in why we do it. We don’t add disciplines to our lives to make us better. We don’t approach growth in the Spirit as an exercise in self-improvement. Peter is not presenting himself as a spiritualized version of a life-coach. This spiritual growth isn’t even about us. It is simply the natural response to sharing the life of Christ—participating in the “divine nature.” We have been so loved that we only want to love in return. We have been given so much that we only want to give in return.

The divine nature includes the nature of giving, sharing and loving. As we participate in that shared life of Christ we discover that we are freed from our ego—our need to think we are good. We just want to know him at a deeper level.

Pray: “Lord, add those things to my life that help me to love like you love. I want to give back to you what you have given to me.”