Wonderful Words of Life - Partake of His Divine Nature

Today’s Wonderful Words of Life, take us back to the first chapter of second Peter. I did a series on verses 1-11. If you would like to see the introductory post on verses 1 and 2, you can see that here. I am focusing only on verses 3 and 4 today, for the specific purpose of sharing these wonderful words again.

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“3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

— 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NASB 1995)

I would like to look at these wonderful words in phrases.

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seeing that His divine power - The words “seeing that” as they are used here could be replaced with “since”. It is used in direct correlation to the phrase, “His divine power.” This phrase applies to what follows. I find it wonderful that it is His divine power. God’s power is limitless, and His, referring to Jesus Christ, was that same power that raised Him from the dead.

has granted to us - He didn’t use His divine power to give good gifts (Matt. 7:11) to the trees or grass or animals, He granted them to us. The word granted, according to Webster’s Online Dictionary has these definitions:

1 - a - to consent or carry out for a person

b - to permit as a right, privilege, or favor

2 - a - to bestow or transfer formally; specifically to give the possession or title of by a deed

What is it, exactly, that has been granted to us?

everything pertaining to life and godliness - This is so encouraging to me. God’s divine power has granted to us everything…EVERYTHING…pertaining to life and godliness. When I don’t think I have the ability to go on; when I can no longer stand; when I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow…His divine (heavenly) power gives me everything pertaining to living life and being godly. How is this accomplished, because obviously I still have to do things myself. I have to live life, go to work, take care of my family, survive the difficulties, so how does he do this?

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through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence - What does it mean, “true knowledge”? In a world with so much learning, so much knowledge, so many books, podcasts, how-to videos, and so many ideas, how do we know what true knowledge is?

The world will tell you true knowledge is only that which you learn through your own senses. Only the things you can taste, smell, hear, see or touch is true knowledge. However, our senses can be skewed. We might have a cold, or ongoing sinus issues that cause our taste and smell to be off. We may have poor vision or the day might be foggy or rainy causing us to not see clearly. Noises are not always perceived correctly either. What sounds like a baby crying, might actually be a tiny dog yapping, or a rabbit being attacked by a cat.

True knowledge can only be the truth which God has established. God has allowed us to share in that truth by giving us His word, the Bible. This is true knowledge. If you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior, you cannot know true knowledge. Sure, you can read the Bible and you can have all sorts of PhD’s and certificates that give proof of your head knowledge, but true knowledge is only found in a heart that is walking humbly with the One True God.

We come to understand this true knowledge when He calls us by is own glory and excellence. He doesn’t call us to another glory…the glory of a professor, a priest or a preacher…He calls us by His glory, and His excellence.

For by these - This refers back to His glory and excellence.

He has granted to us - Once again, it is God Almighty who is doing the giving.

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His precious and magnificent promises - We could spend an entire year looking at God’s precious and magnificent promises. His promises include things like, He is always with us (Hebrews 13:5), He will give strength (Isaiah 40:31), He gives us rest (Matthew 11:28-30), He delivers us and forgives us (Colossians 1:13-14), and so very many more. If you want a good study that encourages you from top to bottom, find all the promises of God in Scripture. It will leave you feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and amazed at His goodness and mercy.

So that by them - refers back to those precious and magnificent promises.

You may become partakers of the divine nature - How cool is that? We actually can partake, like drinking deeply of God’s very nature. Wow!! I am on the floor, prostrate before him in my heart as I type this. Why would such a powerful, mighty being allow us, allow me, to partake of His divine nature? Refer back to John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world….”

God says we are to be holy for He is holy (I Peter 1:14-16). We cannot strive to be holy. Only He can make us that way. Remember it is by His precious and magnificent promises that we are able to become partakers of His holy divine nature. We are not made holy by a new church program, by showing up for every service, by witnessing, by passing out tracts or helping at the soup kitchen. While all those things are good, only God Himself through the blood of His Son Jesus can make us Holy.

Having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust - Let’s sit here a minute. There are several things being stated in this phrase. First, the world is corrupt. We know this because of what happened in the Garden, when Eve listened to that slippery snake, and convinced Adam to listen as well.

We engage in this corruption in its many forms when we lust for that which we do not have. Think about it. Just about every sin that we can engage in involves some sort of temptation. Temptation is the lure that whispers to us all that we do not have…money, power, fame, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a big house, the perfect marriage, and on it goes. Lust takes over when we recognize we are dissatisfied and so we strive for all that we do not have.

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I hate to break it to you, but we will always feel that emptiness and lust for what we do not have, unless we have Jesus in our hearts. Even when we do, we must claim those precious and magnificent promises to really begin to partake of His divine nature, and fully realize true peace and contentment.

I hope these words reminded you of several things:

You are not alone. God is with you and His is doing, moving, and working all the time.

You have His divine power, which can help you live this life.

You have all of His precious and magnificent promises.

You can partake of His divine nature.

You can escape the corruption of this world by delving deeper into the depths that are God.

You are loved!

Words of Life - Comfort

Today we are going to take a quick look at a few verses from the book of 2 Corinthians. This second book that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, gets into the theme of suffering and Paul’s own walk in the Spirit to carry out the work of spreading the Gospel.

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The word comfort is both a verb and a noun. As a verb it is defined by Webster’s Online Dictionary as the act of giving hope or strength to, or to ease the grief or trouble of someone. As a noun it can be defined as: strengthening aid, consolation in times of trouble or worry; a feeling of relief or contented well being; a satisfying or enjoyable experience, or a person who brings comfort.

Look at the following pictures. Which of these make you think of comfort?

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I love a cozy fire, furry pets, warm drinks, relaxing smells, hot baths and comfy beds. All of these make me think of being comfortable and cared for. Let’s see what Pauls says about comfort.

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. ”

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NASB 1995)

Let’s face it, there is a lot of hard, uncomfortable stuff in our lives. Since the onslaught of Covid it seems that every time we turn on the news or open our computers we hear about some other disaster, either in the health field or in the natural world. In addition, we are inundated with bad news both close to home and far away. Who doesn’t have ill relatives, children who have walked away from God, job loss, divorce or feelings of being overwhelmed just by the thought of getting out of bed. We all know somebody who is suffering.

These verses tell us several important, life giving thoughts about God.

1 - He is the God of ALL comfort. This God, the one who created us from dust (and yes I will keep reminding you of that), who provided a way through His own Son for us to come back into a right relationship with Him, who knows the number of hairs on our heads and stars in the sky - He is the same God who provides all the comfort we need through whatever valley we are walking through.

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2 - He comforts us in ALL our affliction. God is certainly the God of ALL’s! He’s not just the God of ALL comfort, but He comforts us in ALL of our affliction. Think about all you are struggling with. Now think about how God comforts you in it. We most often miss the working of God in our lives because we are too distracted by our suffering and our sorrow to recognize His hand of comfort. His hand is there in the many forms of His word, His people, His songs, His prayers, and His Spirit. Remember the Spirit intercedes for you.

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“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;”

— Romans 8:26 (NASB 1995)

3 - God has a purpose. Our struggles and our suffering always have a purpose; a purpose which is always preceded by God’s approval. Why? Because life isn’t just about us. Life is about bringing glory to God and the way we do that is by living in community with others. God doesn’t want us to be hermits, always keeping to ourselves protected from the harm that relationships can bring. We struggle so we can help others. Suffering, if given over to God, tenderizes our hearts so we are able to give care and encouragement to others who are also suffering. This is part of how we share in the sufferings of Christ.

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“16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

— Romans 8:16-17 (NASB 1995)

4 - Abundant suffering means abundant comfort. God doesn’t just comfort us once in a while. He doesn’t just comfort us through one really hard time. He comforts us every time we are suffering, no matter how big or small the suffering is. Since the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, meaning we benefit from all the suffering He endured to be human and to pay for our sins, then the comfort of Christ is also ours in abundance.

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Learning to lean in to the suffering of Christ is a hard concept to grasp and, perhaps, not the most fun thing to think about. However, the reality is as long as we are living life on this planet we will endure suffering, if not our own, that of others around us, including those we care for. Knowing that God is there to comfort me through it all gives me life giving hope. I hope it does for you as well.

Words of Life

“Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life;
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.”

— Wonderful Words of Life (Hymn written by Philip P. Bliss)

There are words in the Scriptures that give us instruction, relate our condition, direct us on how to leave that condition behind and remind us to love and forgive just as He loves and forgives us. There are also many passages and verses that speak to encourage us. The God who created us from dust and foreknew the depths to which we would go, also knew that we would need constant reminding of our value, our worth and whose we are.

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A parent who gives life to a child seeks to encourage that child to do all that they can to be a good human being. They teach them how to behave, relate stories from their own lives as examples, direct them how to do better and remind them to always be kind and think about what they are going to do.

A good parent also recognizes that children need encouragement. It is not the strict, finger wagging instruction that will remain with a child, but the gentle, time involved words that uplift and remind them of how valuable they are. It is these words that make the child want to do and be better and give them the hope that they will be able to do so, because of the parent’s love and support.

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In the same way our Heavenly Father, knew we would need those gentle words of encouragement and love, of which there are many in His word. This is what I want this monthly post to focus on: the love, the joy, the relationship, the promises, all given to us by our completely good and kind God.

The Psalms are a wonderful place to find encouragement. Not only do we see the struggles of David, but the end result when he turns his eyes from his difficulty to his God. Today I would like to look at two verses from Psalm 37.

“23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”

— Psalm 37:23-24 (NASB 1995)

There are several things we can take away from these two verses, which should cause us great joy.

1 - The promises - First we can see that our steps are established. Other translations say, “…makes firm the steps…” God doesn’t cast us out onto the slippery slopes of life without giving us the footing to be able to maneuver the path.

The second promise has to do with God’s character. I stick to the New American Standard Version as it is one of the most word for word translations. God delights, or finds pleasure in our ways when we are walking as righteous people. Some versions put the emphasis on our delight in God, but this makes more sense to me in that this is part of the promise God gives to us, not something we do for HIm.

The third promise may not seem like a very nice promise, but it is truth. We will fall.

The fourth promise follows that we will not fall with such great speed and or from such a great height that we die from the impact. No! Because the Lord is holding our hand.

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Have your ever held the hand of a small child and felt them tug and pull when they want to get away from you, but you know that letting them go will involve a devastating tragedy, such as running into traffic, or at the least a bleeding boo boo? We don’t let them go because we love them and we do not want to see them suffer. God’s care for us is the same. Yes, there are times He will, like with our own children, let us go so we can be free to make our bad choices, but He’s always right there, ready to grab hold of our hand again.

2 - The Take Aways -

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Meant to Move - The fact that our steps are established shows that we are meant to be moving. Our lives as Christians are not meant to be stagnating from standing still. They are meant to be dynamic and energized because we are moving in sync with His will in our lives. That doesn’t mean we won’t have still times, but even in the stillness our faith should always be moving forward in our understanding of Him and in our prayers.

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Firm Footing - No matter where life takes us God places our feet on firm footing.

“My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.”

— Psalm 17:5 (NASB 1995)

“You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.”

— Psalm 18:36 (NASB 1995)

“The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.”

— Psalm 37:31 (NASB 1995)

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Delight from God - When we are walking the path that God lays out for us, He delights in our way. I don’t know about you, but I find that so amazing. I a sinner, saved by grace, can make God feel delight. Wow!

“He also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.”

— 2 Samuel 22:20 (NASB 1995)

“Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him”

— Psalm 22:8 (NASB 1995)

“Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, “The Lord be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”

— Psalm 35:27 (NASB 1995)

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way.”

— Psalm 37:23 (NASB 1995)

“The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their walk are His delight.”

— Proverbs 11:20 (NASB 1995)

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We are held by the Most High - It doesn’t matter what our situation is, God is always there with us. Moses spent years in the dry wilderness because of his own choices, but God was still with him. In the same way we may be in a bad place due to our own selfishness and sin, but God is still with us. Not only is He with us, but he is holding our hand and won’t let us be hurled head long into destruction.

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.”

— Psalm 73:23 (NASB 1995)

“7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.”

— Psalm 139:7-10 (NASB 1995)

I hope these words from the Scriptures have given you hope and encouragement, for indeed, they are the Words of Life.

Have a great weekend!