READ: 2Peter 1
BACKGROUND: Peter is talking about the importance of grounding our faith on Jesus and our being intentional about growing it.
By Verse:
4 – Partakers of the divine nature is describing the way in which believers are invited to share in the life of God by becoming more like Jesus.
9 – Without the qualities listed the life of a believer is useless.
13 – This earthly dwelling refers to Peter’s human body.
16 – Peter is saying that all of this stuff about Jesus isn’t just made up fairytales. He saw it with his own eyes. He is specifically referencing the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8) in verses 16-19.
THINK: When Clayton Kendrick-Holmes became the head football coach at Maritime College in New York City the school hadn’t had a winning record for over 2 decades. He decided that the only way to change things around was to completely reinvent the identity of his team, and he identified the integrity of his players as his primary target. So Coach Kendrick-Holmes came up with the acronym WAR FACE, with each letter standing for a character trait he wanted his players to be defined by. Work ethic, Accountability, Respect, Family, Character, & Enthusiasm. What he did next was unprecedented. Not only did he affix a logo that spelled out WAR FACE – in the shape of a cross with the A shared between the 2 words – but he removed his players’ last names from the backs of their jerseys and replaced them with one of the 6 words instead. And it changed the direction of the program.
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ it means completely reinventing our identity as individuals. We are no longer slaves to sin, and our new identity is found in the process of sanctification – that is being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into people who are more like Jesus. In 2Peter 1 we get a picture of the character traits that this process brings about in us. Moral excellence. Knowledge. Self-control. Perseverance. Christ-likeness. Kindness. Love. These are the things that, above all else, we ought to be pursuing. These are the things that ought to define our lives and our character.
ASK: Am I pursuing moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, Christ-likeness, kindness, & love? What are the things in my life that might be preventing the Holy Spirit from fully transforming me into the person God is calling me to be?
PRAY: Invite God in. (Don’t take this invitation lightly because he’ll take you up on it). Ask him to come in and transform you. Ask him to help you see the things you need to get rid of so that you can become the person he is calling you to be. Ask him to sanctify you.
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