CONFIRM YOUR CALLING
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Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, as I anticipate celebrating the birth of your Son, I want to thank you for sending him to be my Savior and for sending him to purchase my pardon on the cross so that I can enjoy eternity with you.
Read 2 PETER 1:1–11
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Reflect
Jesus did not avoid his humanity despite being equal to his Father in nature. He came to earth to save us. Let us stand in wonder before the stable.
‘We are lifted up above earthly things by two wings: simplicity and purity. Simplicity regulates the intentions and purity the affections. Simplicity looks to God and purity finds Him and savors Him.’1 These words of Thomas à Kempis from centuries ago help us grasp the words before us today. How else can we both accept the invitation literally to ‘participate in the divine nature’ (v. 4) and ensure that we keep increasing in various qualities (vv. 5–7)? We must humble ourselves and accept the magnanimity of our heavenly Father. Yet we must also single-mindedly work in, work on, and work out these amazing interior and exterior virtues.
We may ask: How would we know if we are growing into this divine nature? Peter answers this in verses 8 and 10. We may judge ourselves on our knowledge and fruitfulness by examining our own progress. Are we still growing into Christ? This is not just cognitive or about behavior or attitude, but all of these things. This may worry us!
When I was much younger, this passage was hard to accept, let alone understand. I learned a great deal from being married, going through the rigors of being a young father—and from life. Until then, I did not realize how important it was to depend on the Holy Spirit rather than trying to analyze the Bible. This is the key to seeing one’s life bearing fruit.
Apply
Choose one quality from verses 5–7 as God’s gift this Christmas. To see how this quality is increasing, write your annual report—in one year’s time.
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, speak to me and keep me from being persuaded to follow in the world’s ways. Let me hear and heed your voice that gives me strength and keeps me from falling.
1 Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ in Four Books (Catholic Book Publishing Co, 1977), 73.
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