Add To Your Faith . . .
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.--2 Peter 2:5-7
Two weeks ago, we discovered in the passage before this one an amazing idea. Peter told us that we have everything we need right now for “life and godliness.” We don’t have to wait. We’re not missing any pieces to be everything God wants us to be. He has made us alive and given us access to all His power. Sin can’t stop us.
I ended with the weak analogy of a high-performance car. It’s gassed up. The engine in running. We’re strapped in. Now where are we going? What are we going to do with all that power?
Today’s passage is the first part of that answer. It starts with “make every effort.” In other words, it’s time to get to work. God gave us this “access to the divine nature,” this spiritual power, as a gift. Our effort didn’t earn it for us. We didn’t work for it. But now, Peter says, it’s time for us to work with it.
Imagine if Superman never flew. Or ran faster than a speeding bullet. Or jumped higher than the tallest building. What a waste of power! Peter next describes how to make the best use of ours -- by adding to our faith in God the following qualities one on top of the other.
Add to your faith . . .
Goodness: Because I have faith in God -- because I trust Him -- I need to add goodness, the desire to do the right things and not the wrong things. That’s what a good person is like, right? We can be good people with the power God has given to us in Jesus.
Knowledge: But just wanting to do the right thing isn’t enough. I need to know the right things to do. I need knowledge of God’s standard for right and wrong. It’s all right there in the Bible in front of you (or on your computer), but it’s going to take work to get it off those pages and into your head and actions.
Self-control: Wanting to do good and then figuring out what is good -- that’s a great start. But it’s not worth as much if you can’t make yourself do it. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that doing good doesn’t come naturally. Peter says I have to work on my self-control -- overcoming my tendency to stop doing hard good things or to start doing easy bad things.
Perseverance: Self-control + time = perseverance. The 400-meter runner’s body tells him to stop. He exercises self-control for a minute or two, ignoring his body’s impulse, to complete the race. The marathon runner’s body tells him to stop. He ignores that message for hours. We can do the same in choosing to do good. That’s perseverance.
Godliness: Our God is good, knows the good to do, and exercises self-control in getting the good done. All the time. Godliness turns a week’s worth of good intentions into a lifelong commitment to using our power for God's good. It’s what we become known for as “imitators of God.”
Brotherly kindness: Now it’s time for me to work to focus that goodness on other people. I’ve got two brothers. They can expect that I’ll be there for them in a way I wouldn’t necessarily be available to "just a friend." Peter says I have the power to treat everyone as a brother, to give away my time and energy and money to help those in need.
Love: Now we’ve reached the top of the pyramid. It’s one thing to sacrifice an afternoon to help out a brother. It’s another to sacrifice my life -- my agenda, my rights, my personal space -- to give myself away heart and soul to those God brings me into deep relationship with. This is the way God loved me in sacrificing His Son to buy me back from death. I can’t love like this without His power in me. With it, I can work toward loving that way. And it will be work.
This list isn’t just a good way to live. It’s not just some rules for Christians. Peter makes it clear: If you are in Christ, this is who you are destined to be. It’s the life you were meant for. You have to participate in this process, though. You have to organize your life to keep building on these qualities. But God will give you the power to be this person.
Why not try it? Go ahead. Step on the gas.
Ugly Turkey Lists
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
--Luke 17:11-19
Oh, hello there. I was just doing something kind of embarrassing. I'm not sure why I do it, and I wish I could stop. I wonder if you ever catch yourself doing this same thing. It can be a nasty habit.
I was making a list of all the things that are wrong in my life. No, I wasn't actually writing it down or typing it into my journal. That would be weird, right? But I was definitely making the list in my head.
Sometimes the list is quite impressive. I can occasionally come up with a Top 10 that most people would agree are pretty lousy things to have wrong with you. Medical needs. Family crises. Financial struggles. Spiritual lows. All icky stuff. At other times, the list is a little silly. I've got to borrow from past lists and come up with some, you know, not really terrible things just to get the list beefed up a little (e.g., "I can't afford one of those cool-looking new Amazon Kindles!").
So what's the point of this list? Well, that's the embarrassing part. Mostly I use it to justify these little pity parties I like to throw for myself. Or I'll make it Exhibit A to present to my family for why I'm in such a bad mood. Or, worse yet, I wave it like a flag in the direction of God to explain why I'm keeping Him at arm's length today or indulging in a little reckless sin.
I know. It sounds dumb. Maybe you never do that. I mean, it would be one thing to make a list like that so I could show it to God to ask for help with those things. I could present them to Him as requests and trust Him with the answers. (See Philippians 4:4-8.) But that's not really where my head's at when I'm listing these things.
But wait! It gets worse. I'm making this list in my head on the day. before. Thanksgiving. Can I get a "duh!" (Thank you, brother.) This week is all about making a very different kind of list -- a list of things to be thankful to God for. And you and I both know that giving thanks should be a lot more than an annual tradition for Jesus-followers.
Did you read the passage at the top of this page? If I put myself in the story today, I'd be one of the nine turkeys that didn't know how to say thanks to Jesus for the greatest gift of their lives. They call out, "Have pity on us!" He does better than that and heals them all. But only one guy comes back to say "thanks."
Okay, so I'm making a familiar old choice again. I'm taking everything on my self-pity list (and it's a good one today), and I'm turning it over to God as a bunch of requests. He can say yes, no, or wait to each one. I'm choosing to be okay with whatever He says for now. And I'm going to work to build another list. And I do mean work. It's not easy to turn this mental/spiritual ship around. Sometimes I have to start small and obvious.
Things I'm thankful to God for right now:
1. A working Internet connection
2. PlanetWisdom.com
3. iTunes playing music I like
4. I don't have leprosy.
5. I don't have any terminal illness.
6. I like almost everyone in my family -- and they mostly like me.
7. Tomorrow's football, pumpkin pie, and turkey
8. That I can't even remember most of the things on my really old self-pity lists
9. I have been made clean from my sins by the blood of Jesus
10. My wife and son make me laugh at least once a day, usually more
11. I have peace with God right now through Jesus
12. I stand in God's grace in spite of all my ugly list making
13. God is making me new, like Jesus
14. Anyone actually still reading this list. :)
15. Um . . .
Clearly, this list is going to get kind of long. Instead of asking you to keep reading my list, why not make one of your own and post it in the comments section to help us all start thinking gratefully? It's okay if Thanksgiving is over by the time you see this. It's never too late to say thanks to God for anything -- even if you started out the day as an ungrateful turkey.
I was making a list of all the things that are wrong in my life. No, I wasn't actually writing it down or typing it into my journal. That would be weird, right? But I was definitely making the list in my head.
Sometimes the list is quite impressive. I can occasionally come up with a Top 10 that most people would agree are pretty lousy things to have wrong with you. Medical needs. Family crises. Financial struggles. Spiritual lows. All icky stuff. At other times, the list is a little silly. I've got to borrow from past lists and come up with some, you know, not really terrible things just to get the list beefed up a little (e.g., "I can't afford one of those cool-looking new Amazon Kindles!").
So what's the point of this list? Well, that's the embarrassing part. Mostly I use it to justify these little pity parties I like to throw for myself. Or I'll make it Exhibit A to present to my family for why I'm in such a bad mood. Or, worse yet, I wave it like a flag in the direction of God to explain why I'm keeping Him at arm's length today or indulging in a little reckless sin.
I know. It sounds dumb. Maybe you never do that. I mean, it would be one thing to make a list like that so I could show it to God to ask for help with those things. I could present them to Him as requests and trust Him with the answers. (See Philippians 4:4-8.) But that's not really where my head's at when I'm listing these things.
But wait! It gets worse. I'm making this list in my head on the day. before. Thanksgiving. Can I get a "duh!" (Thank you, brother.) This week is all about making a very different kind of list -- a list of things to be thankful to God for. And you and I both know that giving thanks should be a lot more than an annual tradition for Jesus-followers.
Did you read the passage at the top of this page? If I put myself in the story today, I'd be one of the nine turkeys that didn't know how to say thanks to Jesus for the greatest gift of their lives. They call out, "Have pity on us!" He does better than that and heals them all. But only one guy comes back to say "thanks."
Okay, so I'm making a familiar old choice again. I'm taking everything on my self-pity list (and it's a good one today), and I'm turning it over to God as a bunch of requests. He can say yes, no, or wait to each one. I'm choosing to be okay with whatever He says for now. And I'm going to work to build another list. And I do mean work. It's not easy to turn this mental/spiritual ship around. Sometimes I have to start small and obvious.
Things I'm thankful to God for right now:
1. A working Internet connection
2. PlanetWisdom.com
3. iTunes playing music I like
4. I don't have leprosy.
5. I don't have any terminal illness.
6. I like almost everyone in my family -- and they mostly like me.
7. Tomorrow's football, pumpkin pie, and turkey
8. That I can't even remember most of the things on my really old self-pity lists
9. I have been made clean from my sins by the blood of Jesus
10. My wife and son make me laugh at least once a day, usually more
11. I have peace with God right now through Jesus
12. I stand in God's grace in spite of all my ugly list making
13. God is making me new, like Jesus
14. Anyone actually still reading this list. :)
15. Um . . .
Clearly, this list is going to get kind of long. Instead of asking you to keep reading my list, why not make one of your own and post it in the comments section to help us all start thinking gratefully? It's okay if Thanksgiving is over by the time you see this. It's never too late to say thanks to God for anything -- even if you started out the day as an ungrateful turkey.
What Have We Not Been Given?
“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 in the world caused by evil desires.”--2 Peter 1:3-4
Have you ever felt like you just don’t have what it takes to live the kind of Christian life the Bible describes? Maybe if God had put you into a better home situation with two parents really committed to Him and to each other. Or maybe if he’d given your family a little more money and stability, you could have been more focused on living for Him. Or maybe if he’d made you smarter -- able to read and memorize and pray without falling asleep.
If God had given you everything all those really spiritual people have, you might be a “better Christian.”
Well, you and I both know that doesn’t sound quite right, but I think we all feel that way sometimes. We think of our lives as a puzzle, and we’re waiting for a few more pieces to fall into place before we really get serious about investing ourselves in walking with God. After I get out of school . . . After I get out of this relationship . . . After I get married and have kids . . . Then I’ll probably have what it takes to really go after living like Jesus.
You might have read the passage above before, but has it ever jumped out and really slapped you in the face. It should. At first, it should sting a little bit. Then -- once it wakes you up -- it should explode your whole idea about what it means to be a Christian.
Let’s listen to it again:
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness . . .”
Did it slap you? I hope it slapped you. It slaps me almost every time I read it. I tend to spend a lot of prayers asking for God’s strength, peace, courage, wisdom, etc. Nothing wrong with that. But I have this unspoken idea that I’m missing something I need to live the way He wants me to right now. In this moment.
Slap. I have everything I need for life and godliness right now. I’m not missing anything I need to handle whatever life throws my way today -- and in a Christlike way. I’m not short of anything it takes to live in “godliness.” It’s all right here. Right now. No waiting.
If you’re in Christ, you’ve got it all, too.
So why do we still blow it sometimes? Why do we still struggle? That comes later. Right now, you and I have to agree with God that we never fail for lack of power. We never drop the ball because of a bad throw from God. The puzzle is complete. All the pieces are here.
Why?
“. . . through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Peter says it’s all about knowing God through Jesus. If you’ve trusted in Jesus, you do know God. You don’t need to get more “knowing” of Him. You know Him. And when you came to know Him, He gave you everything you need to live for Him because of Jesus’ own glory and goodness. To suggest to God I’m missing something to do what He asks would be to say that Jesus isn’t glorious enough. That He isn’t good enough.
How do we know, though, for sure, for reals, that we’re complete in Jesus? Because He promised.
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises . . .”
You can find some examples of those promises in Peter’s first letter: 1 Peter 1:3-5, 9, 13. Big picture: You’re in the family of God now. All the way. He’s not letting you go. You’ll be home with Him forever. And He’s not stingy with His kids.
Here’s what He’s given you the power to do right now. Today. No waiting.
“. . . you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Ouch. Ouch. The slapping. The explosions. You mean I can live like and for God today -- and walk away from my desire to do wrong? Right now? Ouch. That idea is almost too big to fit in my head because I know myself so well.
But He promised. We can live that way. No matter who our parents are or how much money we have or how lousy this day or month or school year has gone. Nothing is missing. The car is gassed up. The engine is tuned. We’re strapped in and ready to roll.
The next question is: Where will we go with all this power? How are you going to use it today? Read the rest of this chapter (and the next devo) for a peek at the map.
And if you’d like a folky audio reminder of God’s total and absolute provision for us in every new and difficult moment, I dig a song by the now defunct duo called Harrod and Funck. You’ll find it on iTunes by searching for Harrod Funck Lion Song. It eventually asks, “What have we not been given? What have we not been shown?” Good questions.
