2 Peter 1:1-21

Peter’s desire for his readers is that they be firm in their faith and know how to stand up against false teachings and live lives of obedience to God.  It is easy for us to become discouraged by suffering or be disobedient to God because of the influence of those who are out to destroy our faith.  Peter lets us know the keys to standing firm in the face of the foes of our faith.
BE OBEDIENT TO THE WILL OF GOD: God wants us to grow in our faith so that we will be sanctified and mature.  This is the will of God for our lives.   He wants the image of Christ to be evident in our thoughts and actions.  In Christ we find that we have all the resources we need in order to be like Christ.  We have the power of God available to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  For that reason, we have been given all that is necessary for live and godliness.  We also have the promises of God that has made us partakers of His divine nature, so all of His resources for godliness are fully available to all who believe.  Peter also gives us God’s recipe for becoming like Christ by encouraging us to be diligent in adding to our faith Christian virtues, character and godly relationships.  We also see the rewards of spiritual growth in having a productive faith that has its eyes set firmly on eternity, a powerful faith that does not falter in the face of adversity.  It is God’s will that we live like this and He has given us all the resources we need, a clear recipe for godliness and ample rewards to motivate us.
BE ACTIVE IN THE WORK OF GOD: Peter shares with us His commitment to doing the work of God.  He wants his readers to be able to stand strong even after he is gone.  So in order to help that happen he is committed to reminding them of the truths he has taught them, making sure that they are established in the faith and trying to leave them reminders that would be permanent.  Peter is committed to carrying out this ministry in the lives of people for as long as he is alive. Our comfort, our bodies even are lives are of little importance in light of the eternal work that God has called us to do.  If we are going to be firm in the faith and help others to be firm in their faith, we must be committed and active in the work of God and invest our lives in the lives of people.
BE ATENTIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD: One of the greatest keys to standing firm in our faith is to study the Word of God.  We must be very confident that our faith is not based on the inventions of men or the experiences of a group of people.  The Word of God was written by men who saw Christ, walked with Christ and were eyewitnesses of His glory, majesty, death and resurrection.  However, beyond that the authors of Scripture were moved by the Holy Spirit in a supernatural way.  God’s Word is the standard for truth and is a secure source for us to know who God is, what He requires of us and how He wants us to live.  The Bible is key to us being firm in our faith.  But the availability of the Bible’s power to us is proportional to our commitment to study and obey God’s Word.  We must pay very close attention to it in order to benefit from the awesome power of the Word of God.      

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