"the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him.....See I lay a stone in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trust in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious" 1 Peter 2:4, 6-7
Precious Faith, Precious Promises, Precious Savior.
"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to
those who through the
righteousness of our God
and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be
yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
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.
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. For if you possess these qualities in
increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have
them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed
from his past sins.
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling
and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and
you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:1-11
"You show that you
are a letter from Christ the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours
through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in
ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit
for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians
3:3-6.
Precious Faith, Precious Promises, Precious Savior
I don't know about you, but I don't like wasting time or energy.
I don't like feeling ineffective or unproductive. I want results
for my efforts. In my studies lately a theme began emerging, that I have
received a precious gift, the same faith that the Apostles held to, the same
faith that Abraham held to. A new life through the Spirit of God. A life that He will use to impact others. A life that will continue forever. This is a precious gift!
"being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had
promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness.
The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but
also for us to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him
who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over
to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 4:22-5:1.
A lot of scripture I know, but did you catch some of what we have? We have a new life! The same promises Abraham had, the same promises Peter had, the same promises Paul had, we have. Peter said we have received a faith as precious as the Apostles received. God makes us competent to be ministers of His promises, so that we will be effective and productive, so that lives can become letters of Christ's mercy and love!
When you were born, you were complete. Your DNA contained all that you would be. Your height, the color of your skin, your eyes, your hair were all there. Your talents and abilities were all there. You may of been born with the ability to draw, play music, understand math and science, it was all there. But as you grew the things that you put an effort into developed!
God has given you everything you need for life and godliness, so that you may participate in His divine nature from the moment you placed your faith in Him. Don't take your salvation for granted, study, pray, and exercise your faith, so that you will develop as his child. Then you will not be ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus. You are called to add to your faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Never forget that He has made you alive and He has the power to do all He has promised in your life and in mine by the power of the Spirit as you obey His Word.
Just as a newborn baby has the genetic code that will determine how he will grow, so to you have everything you need for life and godliness. Don't neglect it. A healthy baby doesn't come out 6' tall with brown eyes and dark hair, but as he grows he becomes all that he is made to be. His fair baby hair becomes darker, his blue gray eyes develop into brown, he gains height and weight over time. He doesn't play the piano as soon as he arrives home from the hospital, but as his natural ability is nurtured and challenged he grows into a musician. He finds that he has an aptitude for certain things and develops them. So it should be with the believer, God has given you all you need for life and godliness, He gifts you for your good and His glory by His Holy Spirit. Don't stay an infant in the faith (1 Corinthians 3:1-2), develop all He has given you by spending time with Him, yielding to the Spirit and obeying what He says!
Talk to you again soon. Joy!
