September 14, 2018

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness" II Peter 1:5a

I loved playing baseball as I was growing up. I'm sure I spent thousands of hours practicing baseball.

My buddies and I spent long Summer days playing pick up games on a vacant lot surrounded on every side by a fence. A ball hit over the fence was a home run and we kept season statistics on home runs and runs batted in we hit a lot of homers.

Since we usually only had one baseball whoever was in the outfield would have to climb the fence each time to retrieve the ball. If the ball was hit over the right field fence you had to be careful that it didn't land in a cow pie.

After we grew bigger and stronger and it became too easy to hit the ball over the fence right handed, we turned around and learned to bat left handed. About the time we started knocking the ball out from the left side, someone bought the lot and built a house on it.

When I wasn't playing a pick up game I was involved in an organized Little League game. In the meantime I was bouncing a tennis ball off the side of a building to practice fielding grounders.

It is safe to say I was devoted to baseball. Of course, like every kid, I had the dream of playing pro baseball.

All that devotion paid off in allowing me to make it at the college level, but that was as good as it got.

Peter's admonition to "make every effort" is a challenge to devotion. It literally means "bend every energy". There was never a time on the baseball field when I wasn't "bending every energy" toward the game.

Now, as I look back I wonder what might have happened if I had devoted all that effort and energy into learning music or another language. What if I would have "bent every energy" to my studies, especially studying the Bible?

Everyone is devoted to something. Being devoted to baseball probably wasn't worth all that energy and effort.

Thankfully, I devoted myself to Someone Who is worth even more energy than I give Him. I am determined to become even more devoted!

What have you devoted yourself to? 

Where are you directing your energies? 

Is it worth it?

September 13, 2018

^"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," Philippians 2:12

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Hmmmmm! These two verses seem to contradict each other.

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" and then Ephesians says, "you have been saved by faith, through faith -- not by works, so that no one can boast".

How do we reconcile them?

Which one is right and which one is wrong?

That's a trick question, of course! They are from the Bible so they both have to be right - and they are!

Your salvation is an inside job accomplished by Christ's atoning death on the cross and activated in your life through your faith. So, salvation is done by God for you and in you when you confess your sinfulness and trust Christ for your salvation.

BUT, since salvation is a private and personal decision it must bear testimony in public demonstrations. As James says, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2:17-18

Here is how it works! Through your faith in Christ God gives you His salvation within you. But then it is up to you to live out that salvation in your daily decisions and deeds. As we have been reading, " For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness".

God, through the grace of Jesus Christ and His righteousness, puts His goodness in you but then it is up to you to make decisions consistent with His goodness every day of your life. You must live out His salvation with your moral integrity and courage.

That's how your salvation is designed to work! He places it in you and your live it out!

Do you know His salvation? 

Are you living it out in such a way that others know it?

September 12, 2018

^"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness" II Peter 1:5a

I remember reading about a couple who had won some sort of a promotion that allowed them to go into a supermarket and fill as many carts with as many groceries could as they within a given amount of time. Everything they put into their carts within that period of time was their prize! It had all been paid for in advance and was theirs for the taking! And for those several frantic minutes they were shopping maniacs!

Let me ask you, "Do you think they made every effort to fill those carts with groceries?"

You know they did! You would, too!"

What's my point?

Peter tells us in II Peter 1:1-5 that is essentially what God offers you through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ! Take a look, "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 a godly life 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, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add....."

I have highlighted in italics the "groceries" or the "goodies" that are available to you. In effect,  God has given you a cart called "faith" and urges you "to make every effort" to add those goodies to your cart! The price for all of them has been paid by His Son, you just need to make the effort to take them.

Let me ask you again, are you making every effort to take advantage of all God offers you? Are you going after these spiritual blessings with the level of effort and energy as you would those groceries?

Are you? 

If you aren't, why not?

What are you going after? 

Where are you directing your energies?

What does that say about your spiritual condition? 

What will you do about it today? 

You have a limited amount of time and the clock is running!

September 11, 2018

"Make every effort to add to your faith goodness..." II Peter 1:5a

It's that dreaded day again.

We will find ourselves conflicted once more. A big part of us would like to forget that it happened and yet we discover it changed us forever, so that's impossible.

If you haven't already, you will be deluged with the horrifying videos of the planes hitting the towers, the thick black smoke billowing from the gaping holes in the twin towers, the people jumping and then the buildings crumbling.

I don't know about you, but I feel much the same emotions now that I had seventeen years ago.

The most enduring images for me will always be those brave firemen and rescue workers running in when panicked people were running out.

When you think of that image you will have a good understanding of what Peter is saying in this verse.

"Make every effort" literally means "bend every energy".

"Bend every energy" toward what? Toward adding goodness to your faith!

What does that mean exactly?

The idea behind "adding" means to support something you believe in, like patrons in ancient Greece would contribute to the actors and producers of the Greek dramas. It is literally putting your money "where your mouth is".

So, Peter is saying that if we have faith we must support it by displaying "goodness".

The word used for "goodness" could be translated "virtue" or "excellence" or "moral courage". So, faith is expressed when we have the "moral courage" to do what God says is right no matter what the situation.

Faith is remembering that God has given us "everything we need for life and godliness" when we are confronted with a moral decision to choose the good God desires or do what is easy.

That is why these brave heroes exemplified goodness during that tragic event. Because they had faith in their training and believed in the goodness of their cause, they made every effort to fulfill their mission.

Today, I will be dwelling on that challenge as I view the videos again and again.

September 10, 2018

"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 a godly life 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, having escaped 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;" I Peter 1:1-5

I am blessed with a wonderful mother. She does many things well but one thing she does best is cook! Since she raised seven of us she learned to cook for big groups. After shopping for the food and bringing it home and cooking the meal and setting the table she call us when it was ready, "Come and get it!"

Everything had been done by her for us but she was not about to bring the meal to us, that is the one thing we had to do for ourselves. "Come and get it", she would call and she never had to call me twice!

That is like Peter in these verses. When he says, "Make every effort" he is in effect saying, "Come and get it!"

He takes great care and delight in detailing the marvelous things God has prepared for us through His Son, Christ Jesus. According to Peter, God has given us "very great and precious promises" and He has given us "everything we need for a godly life". After doing so and explaining it, in verse 5 it is as though He says, "Come and get it!"

Just like my mother, He will pay the price and do all the preparation to make a great spiritual feast available and He invites you to the table BUT He won't force feed you. It is up to you to come and get it! That is the effort you have to make!

Even now, as I write these words, I remember the many times I answered the call of "Come and get it"! Gladly I would make the effort to hurry to the table to enjoy the delicious dishes she had lovingly prepared for us! In view of all she had done for us responding to her call and coming to the table wasn't much of an effort - but it WAS an effort! The greater effort was usually pushing away from the table!

In the same way, we should welcome the call to enjoy all that God has provided for us - "everything we need" - and with great joy "make every effort" to "come and get it"!

September 9, 2018

"Make every effort to add to your faith....." II Peter 1:5a

You probably remember your first real crush when you were young. It was intense! I think "crush" is the right word for it!

I love the story about the young fellow who found himself head over heels for a young lady. She was all he could think of and when he did think of her his heart rate went up exponentially! He couldn't wait to be with her and when he was with her and when he was with her hours became like seconds! And he was pretty sure she felt the same way about him! Life was wonderful!

He was thinking of her one afternoon at work when he really should have been working. As it usually happened, when he thought of her he became overwhelmed by her so he sent her this email:

I adore you, my Love! I would climb the highest mountain to be with you! I would swim the deepest sea if it separated us! I would wade through a swamp infested with snakes and alligators in order to be near to you! There is nothing that could separate me from your love! And, by the way, I will be over tonight if it doesn't rain.

Hmmm! That's sort of a mixed message wouldn't you say?

Do you suppose that response planted a little bit of doubt in her mind about his professed devotion to her?

I'm not seeing "gazelle intensity" there!

That makes me wonder, "Do I ever send a mixed message to God? Do I stand in worship service caught up in the atmosphere of the music and sing songs of commitment and devotion that essentially say you will do anything for Him?" Only to bail out on Him when it gets tough?

"Make every effort" means I must go out in the rain or whatever is required to be obedient to God. Faith means believing that He can strengthen me and sustain me in any circumstance to which He calls me into. Unless and until I am willing to crawl out of my comfort zone I my faith will never have a chance to grow. The fact is that faith is dynamic, it isn't static. If my faith doesn't stretch and grow, it shrinks and weakens.

God forgive me for my mixed messages. Give me faith to go out in the rain.

September 8, 2018

^"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith......." II Peter 1:5a

We know the reasons for giving every effort to building our faith, what we're not sure of is why we don't.

When we think of all that God has done for us, why would we not make every effort?

When we consider everything that Jesus suffered and sacrificed for us, why would we not make every effort?

Considering all that God has made available for us through our faith, why would we not make every effort?

Could it be a lack of desire that keeps us from making every effort toward faith? If so, what is that we desire more?

Could it be a lack of devotion that keeps us from making every effort toward faith? If that is true, then what is it we are more devoted to?

Perhaps it is a lack of discipline that keeps us from making every effort toward faith? Discipline means saying no to non-faith things in order to say yes to faith. And discipline means continuing to say no to the wrong things and yes to faith things.

Making every effort requires a desire for faith, a devotion to faith and a discipline toward faith.

What do you desire more than you desire faith?

What are you devoting yourself to more than faith?

Where do you need to be more disciplined?