2 Peter 1:1 Bondservant - Devotional Scripture

 

In 2 Peter 1:1, Peter introduces himself as:

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ.

First, he recognizes who he is without Christ.  He is Simon, which means shifting sand. He was the one talking when he should have been listening, sleeping when he should have been praying, stepping out when he should have held back and holding back when he should have stepped out. Peter desired to do right but he would constantly mess up.

Simon didn’t become Peter, the unmovable rock, until he discovered that Jesus was the Son of the Living God. Jesus, the one that emptied Himself, the one that left his place in heaven and took on the form of a bondservant coming down to earth in the likeness of men to die in our place for our sins (Phil 2:7). It’s only when we realize who Jesus Christ is that life begins to make sense.

Peter, after recognizing who he was without Christ and who is he now in Christ, he introduces himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. This means that he voluntarily placed himself under the authority of God. A bondservant is someone who declares, “Lord, I love you and I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want to be free to do what I want. I’ve lived that way and it left me feeling empty and depressed.  I would rather place myself under your authority trusting you to take care of me.” 

Understanding our identity in Jesus Christ is where we'll find true freedom -- freedom from fear, freedom from worry, freedom from the temptation to be selfish. We also have this promise:

Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Romans 6:22

2 Peter 1:4 God's Promises Are For You - Devotional Scripture

Last weekend, I drove to Seattle for an instructor training. As we approached Seattle the traffic came to a screeching halt.  Google maps said the delay would add 5 hours to our travel time. There is nothing that can make me more anxious and irritable than being stuck in traffic for hours upon hours.  As I sat there in the traffic I could feel the hostility begin to rise within me.

At that moment I had a choice. Was I going to believe God’s promises or was I going to entertain destructive thoughts? I chose God’s promises. I reminded myself that the Lord knows.  He knew this was going to happen.  This was no surprise to Him.  For whatever reason He allowed it and it must be good for me because He always has my good in mind. Besides, what did this training matter in light of eternity? These truths calmed my anxious heart and allowed me to be at peace even as we continued to crawl our way towards Seattle. We arrived in Seattle two and half hours later than expected. I had missed the first session of the training but made it on time for the Master class, and I even received a party favor for driving the longest distance.

. . . by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.   

 2 Peter 1:4

God makes amazing promises to us and these great and precious promises enable us to escape the craziness of this world. Whatever you are going through there is a promise in the scripture that is waiting there for you to embrace.  Whether you are stuck on I-5 in unmoving traffic, or whether you feel like you are going nowhere at work, or whether you are being driven crazy by your parents or your kids.  Whatever it is that makes you anxious and makes hostility rise up within you, God’s peace is right there for the taking if you would simply grab on to His promise and  rest in it because you know the promises of God are true for you.

2 Peter 1:16 Eyewitnesses of His Majesty - Devotional Scripture

. .  Jesus asks the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” Matthew 22:41-42

 

The same question is before each of us today.  Is Jesus the Son of God? In 2 Peter 1:16 Peter said,

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

When was Peter an eyewitness to His majesty? Luke 9:28-36 tells us of a time when Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a mountain to pray. All of the sudden His outward appearance began to change, His face glowed and His robe shined with incredible whiteness.  Then a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” Peter was so totally convinced that Jesus was the Son of God that he died a brutal death for his faith. All of the disciples, except John, died a brutal death because they were so convinced that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah who died on the cross for our sin and rose again just as He said He would.  I have a hard time believing that anyone would die a violent death and watch their family members go through agony for something that they were not convinced of or for something that they made up.   

Peter goes on to say that not only was he an eyewitness of His majesty hearing from heaven itself but we have a more conclusive piece of evidence and that is prophesy (2 Peter 1:19).   A thousand years before Jesus Christ came on the scene men of God wrote of His coming. There are over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament that were written up to 400 years before Jesus Christ came.

I picked out six to remind you of how detailed they were: 1) The Messiah would be born in the town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). 2) This man would have a forerunner preparing the way for Him (Mal 3:1). 3) He would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zech. 9:9). 4) He would be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12). 5) His hands and feet would be pierced (Ps. 22:16). 6) He would be tried on false charges but would not defend himself in that trial (Is 53:7).

Statistically, the chances that all 300 prophesies in the bible could be fulfilled by one man is astronomical.  Jesus is still asking the same question today, what do you think about the Christ? Is He the Son of God? And, what are you going to do with that truth? Jesus said, "Believe and you will see the glory of God."

 

1 John 5:4-5 Overcomer - Devotional Scripture

 

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?   1 John 5:4-5

When we walk by faith and not by sight we are overcomers. When you believe God is who He says He is and He can do what he says He can do.  When you believe you are who God says you are and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you than you are an overcomer.

The bible says that all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. These things that were written were written for our learning that through the patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined his ear and heard my cry.  He brought me up out of the pit, out of the miry clay.  The Lord is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear.  The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid.  The Lord has not given me the spirit of fear but of power, love and of a sound mind.  He will restore the years the locust have eaten. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  taking every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ because no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

God is still on His throne, and He can easily turn defeat into victory. Our job is to stay close to Him, walk by faith, trust what He says, and let Him fight our battles.

Zeph. 3:17 You Are So Loved! - Devotional Scripture

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

THE LORD – the one and only God of the universe.

YOUR GOD – He’s personal. He has a plan for you and HE is with you at all times.

HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE – The Lord, Your God is Mighty and he wants to be your Savior.

HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH GLADNESS. He takes great delight in you – no matter what you have done - no matter where you are in your walk with Him, He delights in you.

HE WILL QUIET YOU WITH HIS LOVE – As you get to know Him through His word you can hear the words of His love letter jump off the pages saying, “It’s OK, you and I will get through this. I love you and I want to surround you with My peace.  You just need to accept it and rest in Me. Nothing is too difficult for Me. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH SINGING – Can you think of anything more wonderful and more humbling? The Lord, Your God, who is Mighty, sings over you. No matter what is happening in your life, no matter what trials and mountains you face, God is with you every step of the way and He is rejoicing in you. He is so happy, He sings!

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.    

by Timothy Keller

2 Peter 3 - Sure Footing - Devotional Scripture

 

 

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 

2 Peter 3:1-2

The book of 2nd Peter is a letter that was written to all believers. The purpose of this letter was to warn believers against the increasing number of false teachers attacking the truth found in the word of God. Peter wanted to refresh their memories (2 Peter 1:13) and stimulate their thinking (2 Peter 3:1-2) so that they would remember his teachings and the commands of the Lord.

In this day and age they are many impostors pretending to be true Christian leaders and we see many Christians who do not know the word of God being “taken in” by their trickery and false interpretation of Scriptures. Peter warns us to be alert and to be on guard so we don’t fall into their trappings.

The word of God needs to be so familiar to us that when someone uses it to prove their point we will know if that person is handling Scripture properly, otherwise, we are in danger of being swept away by a lie and wobble in our faith. How do we keep sure footing in a world of shifting sands and slippery places? 

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 3:17-18

We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.  We are to be so grounded in the word that we are able to discern truth from error.

John 11:40 Believe and See -Devotional Scripture

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40

Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus, was sick, so they sent word to Jesus.  When Jesus heard the news, he waited two more days before going to their hometown.  Jesus did not come to them until after their brother had been dead and buried for 4 days. Mary and Martha could not understand what their Lord was doing. Both of them said to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

They didn’t understand why He stayed away so long. They didn’t understand how He could let death come to the man whom He loved. They didn’t understand how He could let sorrow and suffering ravage their lives when He could have stopped it all. And to all of this Jesus had one answer: “You may not understand; but I tell you if you believe, you will see.”

Abraham could not understand why God would ask him to sacrifice his only son; but he trusted. Moses could not understand why God kept him in the desert for forty years; but he trusted. Joseph could not understand the cruelty of his brothers; but he trusted.  All of them believed and saw the glory of God.

Perhaps in your life you don’t understand why affliction has been permitted to strike you. You do not understand the roundabout path the Lord is leading you. You do not understand why plans and purposes that seemed good in your eyes should be baffled.  You do not understand why blessings you so much need are so long delayed.

God does not expect you to understand them. He only expects you to believe. Some day you will see the glory of God in the things which you do not understand.

Hebrews 11:1 Faith and Conflict - Devotional Scripture

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Every time you step out in faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. We live in a society that runs on feelings, not necessarily on fact.

Faith is trusting Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him.  It is venturing out with courage with your feet firmly planted on the word of God, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout, “It can’t be true!”

Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me," the testing of my faith begins.

Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. If something is challenging your faith right now the test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith because faith is absolute trust in God.