2 Peter, Day 1
The True (2 Peter 1)
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:3 – 11).
For the past several years, except for last year, I have had the privilege of being the assistant coach for my son’s baseball teams. It started with T-ball, where we struggled to keep the children from picking flowers while they were in the field. It was fun, and we expected them to do those kinds of things. Every year, I have always expected the players to grow in their skills as well as their understanding of the game. But every year, including this year, we continue to have players who are still very basic in their skill level. So much so that at the beginning of this year, we had at least 2 children who did not know the difference between 1st and 3rd base. Please keep in mind that we are talking about 11–12-year-olds here! It is difficult trying to have a great team when almost half of the team has difficulties just catching the ball. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I am not degrading any of these children. I’m enjoying these kids and they have come a long way in just a couple of weeks. I want them to know the game and enjoy playing and not just focus on winning. Honestly, though, this is a great example of the Christian life.
We expect baby Christians to get distracted and not know very much about the Bible. However, the expectations increase as they get older spiritually, when they should know better. When we read through this passage of Scripture, we read that Peter believes strongly that Christians should work hard to grow in their faith. They should not remain immature. Does massive growth happen overnight? No. Will my son’s baseball team get better without trying? No, that would be ridiculous! His team will only get better if they practice the fundamentals and if they try hard and not give up. In reality, playing for a sports team is not that different from being a Christian.
So, what are some skills that Christians need to work on? The first one is having faith. It makes sense. How can one get better at something unless they are on the team? You need faith to be a Christian. From there we are called to add virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Peter says that if we are increasing in these, then we will be effective Christians, but if we don’t have them, we are just bench-warmers. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a player that stays on the bench and does not get any playing time on the field. They are useless to the team. How exciting is that? Would you like God to call you a bench-warmer Christian? I hope not.
If you want to grow in these areas, first you need to spend time with God by praying, reading His Word and spending time with other believers who also have a desire to grow themselves. Then, practice what you learn on a daily basis. Don’t worry if it seems hard at first. Just ask God for forgiveness when you fail and then continue to grow. Don’t be discouraged by an “error.” By being committed to these building blocks, you will become an effective Christian and not a bench-warmer.
Pastor David Guenin