First Things First

Therefore I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you have. 2 Peter 1:12 HCSB

When I played golf in college I usually practiced or played every day. Professional golfers practice for hours every day. Many times they will play a practice round before a tournament begins. They also spend hours on the practice range hitting balls and on the putting green to practice their putting. It is not because they do not know how to play golf but because they are trying to fine tune their swings and putting so they can play even better.

The same is true in our Christian lives. We need to constantly be fine tuning our lives so we become more and more like Jesus Christ. Just as an athlete must execute the basic fundamentals of the sport, a Christian must execute the basic fundamentals of faith. We must faithfully practice and learn how we can improve and become better witnesses for Jesus Christ. In this verse Peter tells his readers that even though he has said it before, he is going to keep on reminding them to live by the principles and truth that God has established.

Challenge: Keep practicing the fundamentals of faith and seek to become more like Jesus in every area of your life. Do not become bored or impatient with messages or teaching about how to live as a Christian. Instead, become like an athlete who continues to work towards his goal of being the best.

Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. 2 Peter 1:10 HCSB

I believe in the doctrine “Once saved, always saved.” A person cannot lose his or her salvation by sinning, but I do question if some people are really saved when their lifestyle and how they treat others does not reflect a Christ-like character. Obviously, we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We cannot do anything to save ourselves. Our good works do not save us. We are all saved by the grace and mercy of God. Even after we accept Christ as Lord we will continue to sin, but we all should be striving to live differently. We should be living to please God and to bring honor and glory to Him.

It seems that some of Peter's readers had the idea that because they were saved by grace, it did not matter what they did because they would be forgiven. Consequently, they were following false teachers and living in sinful behaviors. In this verse Peter encourages followers of Christ to live as described in 2 Peter 1:5-7. In so doing, we are confirming that we are saved. As we strive to live righteously, we will avoid the temptations and traps of the devil. When a non-believer does not see any evidence that a person is a believer, he may wonder why he should become a believer.

Challenge: Believers should live their lives differently, setting the example of how to live. Their lives should reflect the love and compassion of Jesus Christ – even for those who are sinners and often unloveable. What does your lifestyle and actions say about your life and salvation? Would there be enough evidence to convict you if you were arrested for being a Christian?

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:8 HCSB

I had the privilege of playing on the golf team for my college many years ago. My golf game used to be pretty good. There was a par-three golf course on our college campus where I would play a few holes when I had time between classes. I practiced or played just about every day. Now I seldom practice and do not get to play very often. My game has suffered and I am no longer able to play as well. As a result, my skills and talent have decreased over the years.

This verse is referring to the qualities that are mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-7 (goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love). These are the qualities that should be increasing in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. As a person becomes more like Christ he becomes useful and fruitful in God's kingdom work. Often when a person accepts Christ, he is so excited about his new faith that he reads his Bible everyday and begins telling others about Jesus. As time goes on however, the excitement and commitment to Jesus seems to decrease instead of increase. The follower may become useless and unfruitful.

Challenge: Are you increasing or decreasing in becoming more like Jesus Christ? Have you become complacent in your devotion to Christ and your desire to grow as a disciple of Jesus? Pray that God would help you to be useful and fruitful.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 2 Peter 1:5-6 HCSB

My grandson, Logan, is three years old and enjoys building things. When he was very young he was able to stack blocks one on top of the other until it would become top heavy and fall. He would squeal with excitement and then start building another tower of blocks. For Christmas we gave him a Lincoln Log building set. He now enjoys putting the logs together to build houses and other structures. The common element is that he has to start with the first block or log and then begin building on it.

The same is true in our walk with the Lord. We must start with the first building block – “faith” in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and then build on that faith if we are going to become like Jesus Christ. Our ultimate goal is to be as much like Christ as possible in our actions and thoughts. In these Scriptures Peter provides a list of things we must do to become like Christ. One of these qualities is self-control or discipline. We must discipline ourselves to do what is right. Our human nature is to do what is best for ourselves or what brings pleasure. Some false teachers in Peter's time had said that since Christians were saved by faith, they could do and say what they wanted and would be forgiven. Peter argued that they would be forgiven, but Christ desires more for each of His followers. We are to strive to become like Christ.

Challenge: Do you have the first block of “faith”? If not, then pray and accept Jesus as Lord of your life by faith. Next begin to work on the other qualities to become like Christ. Be self-controlled and discipline yourself to seek and obey Christ's teachings. The Holy Spirit will guide you to do what is right in your actions, thoughts, and emotions.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 2 Peter 1:5-6 HCSB

I have heard the expression “For Goodness Sake” my whole life. It is a saying that is similar to ”For Pete's Sake” or “For Crying Out Loud”. All of these sayings are idioms that are used as a way of expressing surprise or annoyance with something that has happened or with someone's actions.

In this passage of Scripture Peter is encouraging us to add goodness to our faith. He could have said, “For goodness sake – add goodness to your faith”. He may have been disappointed with some of his readers who had become Christians and yet were not being kind towards other people. Peter was reminding them and us that we need to be kind and considerate towards others. As we are “good” towards others, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love will be developed in us. The ultimate goal is for us to love others as Christ loves them. We are to be continually growing to become more like Christ in our thoughts and actions. It all begins with faith in Jesus Christ, but we must add goodness. The goodness does not save us, but it is one step towards becoming more like Christ.

Challenge: “For Goodness Sake” be good! Treat others with respect. As Matthew 7:12, popularly known as The Golden Rule, advises, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. You are a work in progress. Keep striving to be more like Jesus Christ every day.

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 HCSB

Having the right tools always makes a job easier. My children gave me a new power washer for my birthday. This weekend I used it to clean the gutters and siding on my house. It was amazing how easy it made the job and how new it made everything look. Without the power washer it would have taken a much longer time to complete the task and the end product would not have looked as clean.

God has given you all the tools you need to be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Through a relationship with Jesus we all receive everything we need for this life and for the life to come. The power to live a godly life comes from God, who allows us to share in His divine nature. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within each believer, we can resist the temptations of our world and do what is right. In so doing, we bring honor and glory to God.

Challenge: Thank God for allowing you to share in His divine nature by providing the Holy Spirit to convict you and guide you to do what is good and pleasing to Him.

Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. 1 Peter 5:10 HCSB

When my son, Jonathan, was sixteen years old he wanted an old Mustang to restore. We diligently searched and finally found a 1966 Mustang that we could afford. It needed some work but we knew we could work on it together. Not knowing if we were going to purchase it, I was able to surprise Jonathan when he got out of school one day. He was so proud of it, even though it needed a lot of work. We restored the inside with new seats, carpet, dashboard, door panels, etc. The outside had some rust spots that needed repair and the body needed to be painted professionally. We located an auto body shop that would restore this portion for the price we could afford. They stripped the paint off all the way back to the metal, fixed the rust spots, and then repainted it a bright red. It took nine months, but it was well worth the wait. The transformation was amazing! The new chrome and paint made the Mustang look brand new. I remember picking it up and taking it to Jonathan at college. Again, he was so excited. We still have the Mustang today and enjoy taking it to car shows.

Peter reminds us that God is in the transformation and restoration business. God will restore, establish, strengthen, and support all of us. He takes a sinner that is scarred and beaten up by the sins of the world and transforms and restores him to a right relationship with Himself. Peter was trying to encourage Christians that were being persecuted by reminding them that even though they may suffer as a result of persecution, God would restore and strengthen them in troublesome times.

Challenge: Allow God to transform and restore you. It may take a while, but remember that God is making you into the person He wants you to be. God is not finished with you yet. Be patient. Thank God for loving you and transforming you into a finished product that is beautiful.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6 HCSB

I have heard it jokingly said, “It is hard to be humble when you are as great as I am.” No one likes a person whose arrogance makes everyone else feel uncomfortable and worthless. Most of us want to be recognized for our abilities and desire positions of power and status, but Peter reminds us to humble ourselves and seek God's recognition rather than human praise.

God hates a person with pride but rejoices in the person who is humble. Jesus Christ was the Son of God, yet He humbled Himself and willingly died on the cross for the sins of the world. He even said, “I have come to serve and not to be served.” Jesus admonished guests to sit at the least favorite place at the table when invited to dinner so the host could exalt them by placing them in the best seat rather than first assuming the best seat and then having the host move them to a lesser position. Humility is an admirable quality that everyone should desire.

Challenge: Humble yourself and obey God regardless of your circumstances either bad or good. In God's perfect timing He will recognize and honor you for your humble spirit.

Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:9 HCSB

I once attended a men's conference and to illustrate a point, the speaker had set several bear traps on the stage. He then introduced his son and proceeded to blindfold him. He positioned his son on one side of the stage and asked the audience to be completely silent so he could give his son exact instructions on how to walk through the bear traps to the other side of the stage without getting hurt. The audience was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The speaker slowly instructed his son to take so many steps forward and then turn a certain direction and walk so many steps. He would then tell him to turn another direction and walk a certain number of steps. When the son reached the other side of the stage safely, the father hugged him and the audience exploded with applause.

The point of the illustration was that the Devil sets traps in our path to try to trap us and to hurt us, but if we will listen to our Heavenly Father's voice we can avoid the traps of life and reach the other side safely. Peter reminds us in this verse that the Devil is like a lion looking for a person he can devour. I think the Devil views Christians much like a big juicy steak and works overtime on getting them to fall into one of his traps. He works even harder on ministers and people in positions of authority because he knows that by destroying their lives he not only destroys the life of that individual but also impacts the lives of those they lead in some way.

Challenge: Do not be the Devil's supper. Be alert and on your guard so you can defeat the Devil. Read God's Word and memorize 1 Peter 5:9 along with others so you can resist the Devil's temptation and be victorious. Pray for your ministers and leaders that they might not fall into temptation.

In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5 HCSB

In my observation it seems that younger men do not have as much respect for older men as in times past. In some cultures one's elders are often held in high esteem and looked to for leadership and wisdom. It seems that in American culture today, it is exactly the opposite. The older a person becomes, the less respected he is and is often viewed as someone who is out of touch with reality. I think that is why we are seeing more and more very young people in management positions of large cooperations and churches. Older people are often discarded as much younger people are hired in their place.

This verse is a reminder to the younger generation to look to their elders and come under their authority. In Biblical times, older people were considered to have wisdom according to their years of experience. I think both the young and the old can benefit from Peter's words. Often older people have too much pride and feel they deserve a certain position because of their age. Similarly, younger people will often not benefit from the experience of older men because they think they know more than an older person. Peter tells both the young and old to humble themselves and to serve one another. The young should follow the leadership of older men and the older men should lead by example.

Challenge: Respect and honor those who are older and listen to those who are younger. You might gain a few good ideas and words of wisdom. Be humble enough to admit that you do not know it all and that you can learn from others – both those who are younger and those who are older.