2 Peter 1:8-11

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.  For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When we appropriate the resources we have in Christ and accept our responsibilities as followers of Christ; we can anticipate rewards from Christ.  These verses describe the ideals that God has planned for us to experience when we are firm in our faith.  God calls us to a life that produces much fruit, rejoices in salvation, is solidified, and richly rewarded.  

A PRODUCTIVE FAITH: Our faith should always be growing as we strive to develop the qualities listed in the previous passage.  We can never be satisfied with where we are in our walk with Christ.  We are never in neutral.  We are either growing closer to the Lord or we are straying further from Him.  The minute we stop growing we start declining in our faith.  We are called to be proactive in our spiritual growth.  Laziness and the desire to be amused or entertained is one of the greatest blights on today’s society.  The ease with which all things can be done today has us soft and diminished our work ethic.  God calls us to be productive and reproductive.  Fruitfulness can be seen as reproducing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives as well as the task that God has given us of making disciples.  The first will always result in the second.  The Spirit produces fruit in our lives so that we will reproduce in the form of other believers through who God will produce still more believers for His glory.

A PERCEPTIVE FAITH:  God wants us to be hopeful as He has promised us future rewards. The idea of being “short sighted” is living only for today and not taking into account the reality of eternity.  Instant gratification is another terrible tendency in our culture today.  Sacrifice and suffering to attain eternal rewards is a concept that is almost completely absent from much of the church today.  We must begin to live in light of eternity and look to the eternal glory that the Lord is planning for His children.  God also wants us to be grateful for our redemption in the past. The Lord’s Supper was instituted so that we would always remember the cross of Christ and our forgiveness from sin.  When we fail to grow spiritually it is because we have forgotten the cross of Christ.  We often take salvation for granted and this breeds spiritual immaturity in our lives.  It is important that we are constantly amazed by our salvation and eternally grateful to the Lord for supplying it to us.

A POWERFUL FAITH:  One aspect of having a powerful faith is the assurance of salvation.  One of Satan’s most effective tools is to make us doubt our salvation.  One of the ways he causes us to doubt is by simply promoting immaturity in our faith.  Spiritual growth and a transformed life are the two clearest proofs that God has started a work in our lives that He will one day complete (Phil. 1:6).  When there is no growth and no change, we should be warned that we truly may not be saved.  That is why we must be ever more diligent to seek to add the qualities to our lives so that we can stand firm against any accusations that Satan might make against us that would cause us to doubt the Salvation God has given us.  Another aspect of a powerful faith is the ability to stand up under temptation. Falling away from the Lord and being unfaithful are one of the greatest fears that we face as believers.  None of us are immune to that possibility, however, we do not need to live in fear of that as long as we continue to grow in our faith.  Satan, society and our own sinful hearts are all striving to tempt us and draw us away from the Lord.  But God has given us all that we need in Jesus to stand firm and grow forward with a powerful faith that will not fall.

A PRIZED FAITH: God promises rewards.  There is an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If there is an abundant one, then there is a “not so abundant” entrance.  God is a rich rewarder and a very good rewarder.  He promises to give rewards to those who faithfully walk with Him and serve Him.  Faithfulness produces rewards.  We are rewarded according to our faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:1-7). Every believer will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and all actions, thoughts and motives will be examined and rewarded according to faithfulness.  We can also suffer loss because of unfaithfulness (1 Cor. 3:10-15).  We should take pleasure in rewards.  If God has promised to give rewards than it is a proper motivation for us to be faithful in order to receive these rewards.  We honor Him by desiring and working for the rewards that He has promised.

APPLICATION: Never be satisfied with where we are in our walk with Christ.  Depend on Him and diligently strive for growth.  Have hope for the future and gratitude for the past as we strive for faithfulness in the present.  Be assured of our relationship with Christ and stand firm in the face of temptation.  Appreciate and anticipate the rewards Christ is preparing for us to enjoy in eternity.