“Not even an option”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, December 4, 2023
2 Peter 1:1-11 (Forward, p. 36) CEV p. 1282
Here, in today’s passage, the apostle Peter suggests something that might clearly come as a shock, an unpleasant one at that, to many Christians. He suggests that growing in faith, ‘learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus’ (verse 2), are not optional extras.
Peter begins, in verse 3, by suggesting that we need to lead lives that please God. Indeed, he says, we have been given, by God’s own power, all that we need in order to do this. We have been invited, thereby, to share in His wonderful goodness and actually have His nature as part of our very natures. That way, we can escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.
And here is where our growth in faith comes in. He suggests that we should do our best to improve our faith adding seven elements to it (goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love). If we keep on growing in this way it will show that what we know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made an impact upon our lives. It will show that our lives are useful and meaningful.
And here’s where the non-option of stagnation, of remaining as we are, comes in. Peter says, ‘If you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, someone who has forgotten that your past sins are forgiven’ (verse 9). In other words, we have forgotten what God in Christ Jesus has done for us.
Throughout this passage, Peter emphasizes how we are to demonstrate with our lives that God really has chosen and selected us—and of course, growing in faith, growing in Christ Jesus, is an ideal way to do this. And this has a couple further benefits: “If you keep on doing this, you won’t stumble and fall” and Jesus will “welcome you into His kingdom that last forever” (verses 10-11). So, you can see why the status quo, remaining stuck or stagnant in our faith, is not really an option, no, not at all. Amen.
Forward notes: “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness…For this reason, you must make every effort to support your
faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection and mutual affection with love” (verses 3,5-7).
“I hike mountains. I sometimes run through forests. These quests take me much closer to God’s purposes than if I sit still. I love being an athlete, although I am slower than I once was. I find mental acuity when I push my body to cover miles in the woods; enduring a little physical pain moves me closer to self-control in the rest of my life.
“These words from 2 Peter remind me that strength requires preparation. I feel more ready for whatever life might bring when I am in good physical condition. If someone needed help, I could run up a set of stairs and provide assistance. If a severe storm hit my community, I would be able to help search the area or pitch in for the clean-up. This verse pushes me to practice strength in a way that connects me to goodness and prepares me to extend love and service”.
Moving Forward: “How do you support and strengthen your faith?”