Week 4 Day 1

January 30, 2023 | Be On Mission

God's Call & Scripture's Prophecy

Scripture: 2 Peter 1 (NIV)

¹ 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:

² Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ 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. ⁴ 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.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ 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. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Devotional

Most scholars believe that Peter wrote this letter a few years after his first one. By this point the persecution mentioned in the previous week’s devotions was in full swing. In fact, Peter himself would soon be crucified in Rome under the reign of Nero. Not feeling worthy to be executed in the same manner as Jesus, Peter was granted his request to be crucified upside down. Needless to say, things were tense for Christians in the Roman Empire.

In this second letter, Peter moves away from the topic of suffering that was so prevalent in the first letter. He focuses instead on the ways Christians should ground their faith, such as living godly lives, believing in Scripture, rebuking false teachers, and trusting in Christ until He returns.

Here in 2 Peter 1:8 he writes that if we possess an ever-increasing measure of godly qualities, they will keep us from being “ineffective and unproductive” in our knowledge of Jesus. The opposite of that is to be “effective and productive,” that is, to take what we are learning about Jesus and effectually apply it to our work and witness in the world. Do you think about how effective and productive you are as an ambassador for Christ? Look again at the list of qualities we are challenged to possess (v. 5-7). Which ones do you need to grow in this year?

Peter closes this chapter by talking about the divine nature of Scripture. These days it is all the rage to claim that the authors of Scripture were simply reflecting on things related to their times. But these verses stand in stark contrast to that sentiment. Peter clearly says that the writers didn’t rely on their “own interpretation of things,” but “spoke from God” when they penned the Scriptures. Paul agrees, when he said, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Bible is not just any other book filled with culturally bound opinions. Rather, “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). How will you allow God’s word to have authority in your life as you read it this year?

Poem

Equally Precious
2 Peter 1: 1b

It’s easy to be precious
If you are
Beautiful
Compliant
Witty
Charitable
Unstained
Young
Virginal
Silent

It’s easy to be adored
If you are
Handsome
Strong
Intelligent
Heroic
Gallant
Mature
Sexy
Tough

But what
If you are
Broken
Head-strong
Dysphoric
Angry
Dirty
Raped
Out-of-control
Weak

Or what
If you are
Troubled
Hypocritical
Apathetic
Fat
Clumsy
Tired
Dismembered
Impotent

Is it easy to be precious, Jesus,
To you, if we are
Needy
Sickly
Sinful
Rebellious
Denying
Betraying
Scared
Guilty

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