Thursday, March 21, 2013

A Thought for Thursday 3/21/13


“Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.  Therefore, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 1:5-11

Peter is speaking of “the Way”; that is, what Messiah Himself claimed and acknowledged when Thomas did not understand Jesus’ proclamation (John 14:5-7).  Being a disciple of our Lord is not an “event” in which we claim salvation and then go about our business as if nothing had changed.  Peter reminds us there was a profound change in that “the Way” has been revealed to us!  Discipleship, a life devoted to Messiah, is that “Way” – and it leads us to the “entrance … into the everlasting kingdom”.  These things, however, will not “abound” if we do not devote ourselves to them.

Make no mistake; it is no “magic spell”.  The “Way” requires that we have the will and desire to devote ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in spiritual growth, “going on to perfection” and moving beyond the “basic principles” of the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:1-3); not ignoring these “basic principles” but rather growing from that solid foundation provided for us. 

It is the “Way”.  It is Messiah.  It is life with certainty rather than doubt in this world, and it is Eternal Life in the World which is to come.

Blessings,
Michael

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