Three Stirring Reminders

Reading: 2 Peter 1

"I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder." 2 Peter 1:13

Examination:

Peter knew that his days on earth were numbered. He knew that soon Christ's words concerning his death (John 21) were about to be fulfilled. Peter decided to view his body as being only an earthly dwelling and focus his attention on keeping the church charged and headed in the right direction.

Application:

Thousands of years have passed since Peter penned this stirring reminder. It is amazing to think that I sit here in Brandon, Mississippi and his words still carry application to my life. There is no way that happens outside of the Holy Spirit.

The first stirring reminder I heard this morning is that Grace and Peace are multiplied only in knowledge of God and Christ. There are days that I wake up empty. There are moments when my life seems to be leaking grace and peace and I just get run down. It is important to be reminded that getting refueled in a sustainable way can only occur through an intimate and personal relationship with God.

I am a partaker of the divine nature. The words Peter uses in verse 4 of this chapter literally mean that I have become a partner and share in the very nature of God and Christ Jesus. I am a new creation. I have been perfected. I am whole. I have been given power to conquer anything in my life. Nothing can ever take this blessing away from me. Nothing.

Finally, my behavior counts. God's grace and mercy are incredible gifts. He looks down on me and no longer remembers the sins of my past. Once confessed, all my sins of the future will be forgotten as well. This does not mean that I get to act as I choose. True knowledge of God and Christ and true connection with the divine nature planted inside of me will always produce holy behavior. I must always strive towards moral excellence.

Prayer:

Increase my knowledge of You today. Outside of a deep and personal connection with You my life is empty. Heighten my awareness of Your divine nature inside of me. Regardless of how I feel, I am holy because You are holy, I am strong because You are strong, and I can be a taste of everything You are because of Christ's lordship in my life.

Push me towards moral excellence. Temptations are not hard to find as they sit at every corner and cry out for my attention. But I am no longer subject to their influence. Their power has been stripped. I am not their slave. The joy of pursuing You is far greater than the joy I find in pursuing my fleshly desires.

My heart is stirred anew this morning. I woke up feeling heavy and dark. It has been amazing how You have lifted my head and filled my spirit as I have opened Your Word and drawn near to You. You are simply amazing. Your glory is something for which my appetite grows daily. Your mercy is a gift I treasure in daily. Your grace is a covering under which I continually find rest.