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Thursday, October 3, 2019

Repentance – Fullness of Joy and Peace- 2 Peter 1:1-11

Friday October 4 -Please read: 2 Peter 1:1-11

When we first surrender our lives to Jesus, confessing our sins in repentance, something awesome happens! 
“…even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment)And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:5-6)

This great miracle occurred in our lives and we begin to live with renewed strength, joy and boldness, sharing with every one of our New Faith! But time goes by with its challenges and difficulties and sadly, many of us tend to forget those first years of “spiritual effervescence”!
“Our walk with God often encounter memory challenges. We forget that his promises to care for us are not conditional. We quickly forget that prayer does work, that as Peter expresses it, God has cleansed us from our old life of sin.” (iWorship Bible)
But what are we to do, to keep experiencing the fullness of grace and peace in our lives? (2 Peter 1:2)

“5 For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, [e]develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), … For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9 For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.” (2Pe. 1:5,8,9 AMP)

We begin our walk with the Lord with faith – exercising our Faith, not just keeping it to ourselves-; but faith should progress into virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love - love being the most important of all God's work in us.
We are called to give all diligence to these things, working in partnership with God to add them to our Christian walk.

Peter tells us that if we have these things, and abound in them, then it will be evident to everyone that we are not barren, nor unfruitful in our knowledge of Jesus.
But if we lack these qualities, it is because we lack in the knowledge of God. We should yearn to know Him, and seek Him in an increasingly fuller and deeper sense!
“According to Blum, the ancient Greek word knowledge doesn't refer to a casual acquaintance. It means an exact, complete, and thorough knowledge.

We come to knowledge of Him as we learn of Him through His Word, through prayer, and through the community of God's people. It is true that we need God alone, but God does not meet us only in our "aloneness" but also in the community of His people.” (David Guzik)
Some may feel good that these qualities are seen in us from time to time. But Peter says they should abound in us. If we lack these qualities we become blind, shortsighted, forgetting the lost sinners we were!

"Such a man sees the things of time, and fails to discern those of eternity… he sees himself and his fellowmen, but not God. This nearsightedness is destructive of a true Christian experience, and therefore makes advance impossible." (Morgan)
So, let me ask you, do you feel you are stuck, immovable in your spiritual life? Do you feel barren and unproductive? Come to your Heavenly Father and open your heart to Him and confess you’ve failed Him. Bring all your “arguments and…every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” regarding the matter, and He will lift you up (2 Corinthians 10:5), for His mercies are never ending!

Father, forgive me for taking for granted ALL you have given me through Jesus’s Sacrifice.  Help me to live in obedience and deal with the issues in my life, which have brought me to a barren and unfruitful life in You!  May I experience again joy in my heart and fruitfulness in my spirit! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

 Mari