So here we are having survived 2020. What is God going to do in our lives in 2021. I cannot say I am optimistic about this year as it pertains to natural things. I think the United States, my country, may be headed for dark times. I hope I am wrong. It is not my intent to prophesy. Fortunately, I do believe that God has everything under control. I believe 2021 is going to be a powerful year for God’s Kingdom and for all those who walk in that Kingdom. God is in control and I am part of his family first and foremost.
Paul said in Romans 8 that he was more than a conqueror through Jesus who loved him. Paul lived in dark days. Rome was the ruling power of the day. It was moving from republic to empire and there was a great deal of instability because of this. Paul himself had once been part of the ruling elite of Israel but was now an outcast because of his faith in Jesus. It was not looking good for him. Yet he said in all that was coming against him he was more than a conqueror. If I have a theme for 2021 it is that I am and will walk as more than a conqueror over whatever comes my way.
I have talked about that in this space at the end of last year so you can look back to see what that means. Right now, I feel that God is leading me to look at some things that will help us do that. The verse above is one of my favorite sections of scripture. I want to look at it closely. Peter begins by telling us to whom the letter is addressed. He is writing to those who have obtained “like precious faith.” He is writing to believers. We have this faith because of the righteousness of Jesus not because of what we have done. That said, what comes next will apply to people who are walking in this faith.
His prayer for those people is that grace and peace will be multiplied to them. I pray that for myself and for you. Grace is divine influence upon a life or favor that is not earned or deserved. Romans 2:8 tells us that we are saved by Grace through faith. What we have been given by grace we receive by faith. That goes for everything that is involved in salvation. One definition of the Greek word for salvation is “all the blessings bestowed upon man in Christ.”
Peter also prays that peace will be multiplied to us. Peace is defined as quietness, rest or to be set at one again. Peter is talking about being put back into relationship, or set as one with, God the Father. The Greek word also implies prosperity. We often equate prosperity with money. However, true prosperity is the ability to access the power of God to meet any and all needs of life. That may mean financial, but it also means emotional, spiritual and any other area in which we may prosper. Paul called it peace that passes understanding. That means having peace when we have no right to be at peace. Jesus said:
John 14:27 (NKJV) 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
As believers we have access to both grace and peace. They are already ours because of salvation. Peter is praying that they will be multiplied to us. I think this is a need for these times. I need a multiplication of the awareness of God’s divine influence in my life, grace. I need a multiplication of the peace, inner quietness and confidence that was left to me by Jesus himself. I need a peace that passes my ability to understand and favor from God that I do not deserve. Does Peter tell us how this can manifest for us in 2021? Yes. He says they come by the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Knowing everything about current events as portrayed on the news will not fill us with grace and peace. Education about earthly things will not do it. Only one knowledge will cause the awareness of God’s grace and peace to be multiplied in the heart of a Christian. If we want to accomplish one thing in 2021 it must be to know God and Jesus our Lord more fully and more intimately than ever before.
In verse 3-4 he begins to give us important insight into how we can grow in this knowledge. God’s divine power has already provided for us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness. One of the most important truths we need to learn is that we already have everything we need for both. We have what we need to succeed and overcome in life right here on earth. We also have what we need to succeed in Godliness. A dear friend of mine who is now residing in heaven defined Godliness as being God like and God centered. We can be both. Not because of who we are but because of what we are in Christ.
In the end of verse three we see what the will of God is for us all. Again, it is accomplished by developing our knowledge of God. This knowledge will produce manifestations of both glory and virtue in our lives. Glory is the power and presence of God in manifestation. Virtue is the force that comes from the goodness of God. It will enable us to live a lifestyle that will lead us away from sin and closer to God. Verse four tells us the vehicle by which we will access these things.
Access to all of these things have been given to us when he gave us his exceeding great and precious promises. What promises is he talking about? There can be only one place to look. They are the promises of God that Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20 are all yes and amen in Christ. Where can I find these promises? I find them in the written Word of God. How can I know God and the Lord Jesus? I know them by the interaction of the Holy Spirit within me and the Word of God given to us in the Bible.
Peter lived in the same dark days as Paul did. They were dangerous and difficult for many people but especially so for Christians. They were hunted, persecuted, and even killed for the Gospel. In the midst of these things and more, Peter is telling them there is a way to have both grace and peace multiplied in their lives. Some in the world are facing these kinds of difficulties. Most of us in the developed world are not. If they could have grace and peace multiplied, so can we. The source of this multiplication will be God’s great and precious promises.
Peter ends this section of his letter to the church by saying that by these promises we can be partakers of God’s divine nature. What is God’s divine nature? It is everything that we think of when we use the term God. He is almighty, all knowing, everywhere present and unchangeable. Just as important to us he is love and our Father. To partake of his nature does not mean we are almighty, but it does mean we can partake of his almightiness. It does not mean we know everything, but it does mean we can access his knowledge when we need it. We are not everywhere present, but he is anywhere we are. We are not unchanging but his love and care for us is. Through his great and precious promises all these things can become functioning parts of our earthly living in 2021. Praise His Name!
He reminds us that in our relationship with him we have escaped the corruption of the world because of the action of lust within it. As we partake of his divine nature through his Word, we will be able to live above this corruption and see virtue and glory released in our lives and to the people and the world around us.
In the next verse he begins to tell us what we can do to see this happen. That is what we will study next.
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