Our scripture this morning is 2 Peter 1:1-8.
This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter begins his second letter to believers with the hope that they will continue to learn and grow in Christ (v. 2). He reminds us that we have come to know God more fully through our experience with Jesus, and to better understand His promises to the faithful. This in turn will lead us to share the joy we have found in Him with all our brothers and sisters.
He gives us a list of behaviors that will enable us to be good stewards of the Gospel, necessary attitudes for spreading God’s truth and love. Paul speaks of similar activity in his fruits of the spirit passage (Galatians 5:22-23). God has called us to grow in His spirit in order to carry out the mission Jesus passed on to us.
We have a sacred trust and duty to continue to share the Good News everywhere, and these blessings will assist us in that effort. Peter tells us through spiritual growth we become “more productive and useful” (v. 8). May we emulate our Savior in teaching peace through God’s love to all the world.
Patient God, we ask that we might be more like Jesus in all our ways. Help us to share the love You first showed us, that all may come to be connected to You. Amen.