Bible Society of South Africa
Carina Francke

God in us – Day 13

I am being changed by Godly power

Bible text(s)

2 Peter 1

God's Call and Choice

3God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1:3GNBOpen in Bible reader

2 Peter 1

10So then, my brothers and sisters, try even harder to make God's call and his choice of you a permanent experience; if you do so, you will never abandon your faith.

2 Peter 1:10GNBOpen in Bible reader

2 Peter 1

5For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge; 6to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; 7to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love.

2 Peter 1:5-7GNBOpen in Bible reader

We already know that our knowledge of God enables us to live abundantly and we need not live a life of mere existence. We participate in his divine nature and can, therefore, live a godly life and escape corruption. We have to understand, though, that it is his power that changes us, however, the responsibility to live or act out this change is our responsibility. We have to figure out how to realise the change in us, because only then can our lives honour Him, and give proof that he called and chose us; that we belong to Him.

Where do we look then? In the word that God himself gave. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Peter makes it very easy for us when he lays down eight successive building stones: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your 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. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

A changed life starts with your faith in Jesus Christ and it becomes visible in goodness, or as Augustinus put it, “a good lifestyle is the child of faith”. You have to have knowledge though, of the characteristics of goodness or a good lifestyle, and this you will find in the Bible. If you know God, self-discipline or self-control becomes possible and you can apply what you have learned. However, once is not enough; you have to persevere in putting into practise what you have learned. Perseverance demands godliness, a life close to God, because it is he who works in you and enables you to persevere (Philippians 2:13). This closeness to God finds expression in brotherly kindness and, eventually, in love for all people. But if you have not yet learned to be kind and loving to fellow believers, how will you be able to show love to people who do not know him?

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
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