2 Peter 1:5-7, 10 (NLT)
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.
Faith by itself is not enough. …at least not enough to sustain us through life. Think about this for a minute. There are very few actual guarantees in life. For instance, if you brew coffee grounds in hot water you will get coffee…not tea. If you happen to drop your 58” plasma TV out the third-story window, it will not work the same as before (if at all). If you go to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday and wake up 8 hours later, it will be Saturday….not Sunday or any other weekday. I think you get the picture. These are guarantees.
Now, here’s what we are not guaranteed. We are not guaranteed our next breath, financial prosperity, stress-free living, obedient/reverent children, lovely in-laws, or that ‘our’ team will win the Superbowl! In all that matters to us, compared to all that matters to God, He gives us all one huge guarantee in this passage above. The magnitude of this promise is so great compared to our often paltry notions of what we ‘need.’ Do these things, and you will never fall away.
This year, may you add to your faith the attributes mentioned by Peter so that you can be guaranteed to stay within the loving, safe arms of Jesus.
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