October 29, 2023

Passage Read: 1 Peter 5 - 2 Peter 1
Meditation Verses: 1:10-11

Thought

We should be continually growing in these areas that Peter points out, so that we can make our calling and election sure, to make sure we will never fail, and to ensure that we receive a rich welcome into Jesus's eternal kingdom. There are many who join the church and grow some in their knowledge of Christ and even their obedience to Him, but they fade out, they give up, they stop growing. Eventually they fall away. They were never called or elected, but just got excited for a time or caught up in the excitement of others or just thought it was a good idea at first. But when the call to growth starts to cost things they don't want to give up, they plateau, they start to pull back, they eventually fall away. So continual growth, continually surrendering more and more of self to Christ is vital for showing the truth of our having been called and chosen by Christ, and to know that we'll be richly welcomed into Christ's kingdom.

Application

If I have little or no interest in conforming my life now to the likeness of Christ, then in truth, I have little interest in being a part of Christ's kingdom. If I don't like what He expects and requires of me here and now, I'm not going to like life in His eternal kingdom. I need to grow more diligent to add to my faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. I want to be assured of my calling and election. Continually growing in these qualities shows that I have truly been changed and indwelt with God's Holy Spirit.