Make Every Effort   Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 1:5 - 7

“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.”  

Simeon Peter the one who first confessed with His mouth before Jesus that He was God’s sent Messiah, now is writing concerning the Person and power of the Holy Spirit to keep us strong in a world of evil and focused on the great and precious promises that the Father has for each one of us who daily place our faith in Christ Jesus.

We who are on this pilgrim journey need to take the long look at how God has purposed for us to live and, ‘Make Every Effort’, to be those who are knowing, growing and showing forth spiritual health and vitality, to those dying to know.

Our lives are not only to be marked by a profession of faith with our lips, but this must lead us to live morally excellent lives in a depraved and ever increasingly wicked world. We are to be asking God to fill our hearts and minds with the knowledge of His Word and His will in order that we may shine as lights in the darkness and draw others to Jesus.

This race that God has called us to is not a sprint, but a marathon of faith that will require us to live patient and self-controlled lives. Not following the temptation to take short cuts with everyone else, but being willing to walk as best as we know step by step with Jesus our living and loving Lord.

If we are to successfully navigate the course of our lives spiritually we will need to realize that we will walk through different seasons: summer, winter, springtime, harvest – requiring different types of actions: breaking up hard ground, planting seeds, watering and caring for the tender plants and yes hallelujah taking part in the great harvest of the Lord. We will not only need to exercise patience in the Spirit of God, but to do so with an attitude of endurance as well.

We are called to be like the God who has saved us, so we will need to be growing in His characteristics. Displaying affection to those who belong to the church of the living God, the body of Christ. Most importantly of all, God wants us to be a reflection of His grace, mercy and love to all people. What a goal we are called to press towards my friends!  

Prayer Heavenly Father I pray that You will give me a great infusion of desire to pursue those things that matter the most. Forgive me for those times where I have been caught up in lesser loves, and cause me to put all of these things together, adding up to looking and actually being more and more like Jesus the One who loves us and gave Himself for our salvation, I pray in His name.  

Memory Verse: Philippians 3:12 “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”