Bible verses for reflection and prayer
Dear God, how I long to write fit words about the wonderful truths and messages, written in Your inspired word, the Bible. I am lifted up and given hope not only about my ability to express fit thoughts, but in the obvious working of Your Spirit in the lives of many of the writers who have contributed for You in the scriptures. By their account, You are a just and fair God, and so what You have done for them You can do for me, in that You save and grow the Christian experience in me and others that ask. How that is expressed for You will depend on Your plans, my williness and abilities, commitment, life circumstances and time in earth’s history. Thank You for the privilege.
Simon Peter, through the Holy Spirit had gone from being a person who was very confident in His love for Jesus, yet not knowing his own weakness; to someone with a fearless, yet humble faith. In the following words, he writes to fellow believers – 2 Peter 1: 1 – 4 “…. To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied in you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakes of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
It would seem that Peter, as with the other disciples, had now become fervent apostles of Jesus Christ, and so did not want his church fellowship to be content with a mere lack lustre Christian experience or in modern parlance, a church fellowship, that was based on attendance once a week, with ‘do your own thing’ in between. 2 Peter 1: 5 – 7 “But for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love.” In actual fact Peter was warning the followers of Jesus, who had in their midst false sensual, unconscecrated teachers, who scoffed about a future judgement. In contrast Peter counsels them (us) to be godly, blameless and steadfast 2 Peter 1: 8 “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
God is merciful and longsuffering, but judgement does come, and so Peter continues in his attempt to build up the faith of his congregation, 2 Peter 1: 10, 11 “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” I can imagine for the apostles, who had lived with their Master, and then had seen Him return to heaven, with the promise to return for His own faithful followers, it must have been for the apostles a deep soul need to have His physical company again, and equally as compelling, to prepare others to share in this absolutely joyful expectation. The thought of these dear, beloved in the Lord people losing out, would, maybe have been even more painful then than it is now, when people set out on a pathway away from Jesus.
It is probable for many of us, that our hope in the return of Jesus has become a little obscured by ‘things’, focus and time. Peter awoke to his true condition, and I believe, that when I humbly listen to You Lord, that I will be as needed, awakened and renewed ‘so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savour Jesus Christ.’