Observation & Obedience: Do you realize that trying to live a godly life in our own power is impossible? The power to grow spiritually and mature into a strong believer doesn’t come from within us, but from God. Humanly, we don’t possess the resources needed for godly living. When we come to know God through a personal relationship with him, his Spirit empowers us with his own moral goodness.
And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires (v. 4).
We need God’s nature to escape the world’s corruption and our own human desires. Living a godly life is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. If people know you are a Christ-follower, do they see a difference in your life? Let’s look at how we tap into this divine power for godly living.
Make every effort to add to your faith…(v. 5a). If we want to live a life that’s pleasing to God, we must start with a foundation of faith. Not faith in ourselves, but faith in God. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Faith needs to be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action; the practice of goodness and moral discipline, growth in the knowledge of God and consistent character development. Verses 5-7 list the things we need to add to our faith in order to live godly lives: goodness/moral excellence and to goodness/moral excellence, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection/brotherly kindness; and to mutual affection/brotherly kindness, love.
These actions don’t come automatically; they require hard work. They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life. We don’t finish one and start on the next, but we work on them all together. God empowers and enables us, but he also gives us the responsibility to learn and to grow!
Does this list from 2 Peter 1: 5-7 remind you of another list of character traits? The Fruit of the Spirit describes how our life looks when we allow God’s power to influence our character development: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Are you tapping into God’s divine power for godly living or have you been trying to live it in your own? Are you taking advantage of everything he has given you in order to live a life that’s pleasing to him? God knows we’re not perfect and that we will fail. That’s why he’s made his power and strength available to us. He doesn’t expect us to do it on our own.
Prayer: “Dear God, you have given me everything I need to live a godly life; I just need to allow your divine power to enable me to do it! I know it starts with firm foundation of faith and then building upon that. You are constantly shaping and sharpening my character to be more like your Son. I choose to challenge myself to add a new trait to my life, depending on your power, not my own, in order to possess it and please you. Amen.”
Encouragement: The main thing God gets out of your life is not the achievements you accomplish. It’s the person you become. Dallas Williard
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