2 Peter 1:3-7

<sup>Today in my daily email devotion my attention was drawn to the following passage of scripture:

2 Peter 1:3-7 (NRSV)

3</sup> His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. ⁵ For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.

What an amazing passage of scripture!!! Peter teaches that every aspect of Christian living builds upon and supports the next. Faith allows goodness to develop and goodness supports faith. Likewise goodness allows knowledge to form and knowledge increases goodness. However not only does knowledge increase goodness it then therefore increases faith just as faith supports the development of knowledge. It continues in ever increasing circles to include self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love.

There is so much pratical advice to be gained from this passage. One of the first points I picked up on was that we can never develop one area of our walk in isolation. Trying to develop faith while deliberately not developing our ability to love or our knowledge of God is like trying to eat ten weetbix without anything else - it might start out ok but a little way in everything feels dry and uncomfortable. Nothing goes down easily, every mouthful is an effort and the last thing you want to be eating is weetbix. However add milk or any form of liquid/lubricant and it becomes a meal that is nutritious and palatable. Often trying to develop our faith leads to the very opposite thing happening - our doubts are increased. Adding bible reading, acts of goodwill and self-control however allows us to see that faith take action and supports its building naturally.

Another point of interest is that we have been given EVERYTHING we need - not only for life but also for Godliness! We are not going to be given, we haven't been given a few of the tools, oh no we already have everything we need. Wow. No excuses can be tolerated in light of t hat statement. So if we already have all we need then we need to be growing in godliness - NOW - no waiting for our 'calling' to be revealed or till we can enter into ministry or get to bible college or raise a family or any of the push-pause reasons that we love to wait on. Feeling challenged?

I could go on and on but its after midnight and bed is calling so the floor is open - what points come to mind for you out of this wee passage? I will be back after Pursuit so I look forward to reading your thoughts

luv Cat