2Peter 1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and
apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours
through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace
and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.3 His divine
power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has
given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that
through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of
lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, you
must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with
knowledge, 6
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and
endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and
mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are
increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9 For anyone who lacks these things is
short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10 Therefore,
brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election,
for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Here
we discover a benchmark for Christian character: faith, goodness, knowledge,
self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. These values – an
ethic for a Christian life -transcend culture, history and location. These are
the qualities of life that “keep
you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ”.
These values do not mysteriously appear in our
character. Instead they are the product of a deliberate commitment to daily
practice. The invitation is to “confirm”
the call of God on your life by choosing to live these Christian values.
Take
my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
Ordinary 19
41 Prayers and Promises
The Scripture passage
for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other
Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 255.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.
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