[Know This] Promises of a Precious FaithSample

Know this

Do you want to know the most important things in the Christian life? Ask the apostle Peter. Or, more to the point, read Second Peter. Why? When Peter wrote it, he knew he was about to die, and he wanted to leave his audience with knowledge of the most important things he had learned from walking with Jesus.

What are these things?

First, you need to have experiential knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ. Second, there are God's promises for every person in Christ. Third, there are false promises from the world that only lead to destruction. Be aware of them. This world and the false teachers will try to drive us away from Christ instead of towards Him. And fourth, do not forget that Jesus’ second coming is imminent.

But why would Peter’s perspective be of any use to me?

Peter was one of Jesus’ apostles. Over three years, he had a series of experiences with Jesus that molded and shaped him into the person that God wanted him to be for the ministry that He had prepared for him.

Could that be happening to us? Could God be working through our experiences to mold and shape us into the person He desires us to be for His glory and purpose? Absolutely.

It was these incredible series of past experiences and more along over 30 years of ministry Peter was looking back to when writing Second Peter.

Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe said, “Peter was overconfident when danger was near and overlooked the Master’s warnings. He rushed ahead when he should have waited. He slept when he should have prayed. He talked when he should have listened. He was a courageous but careless Christian, but he learned his lesson.”

How do we know that? As we read Second Peter, we see the apostle’s interest is no longer in himself. By making sure that the believers learned what was important, Peter was strengthening his brothers and sisters in their faith. He was acting like a shepherd; he was feeding the sheep and serving them, as Jesus had asked him to do.

Father, show us Your goodness. Show us how you used our past to mold and shape us into who You want us to be for Your glory and purpose. Life is found, not in living for ourselves but for You alone!