Make Every Effort: Confirm Your Calling

Confirm Your Calling

2 Peter 1:10-11

 For His divine power has given us everything required 

for life and godliness, 

through the knowledge of Him who called us

 by His own glory and goodness.

   By these He has given us very great and precious promises, 

so that through them you may share in the divine nature,

escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

   

For this very reason,

 make every effort to supplement your 

faith with goodness, 

goodness with knowledge, 

   knowledge with self-control, 

self-control with endurance, 

endurance with godliness, 

   godliness with brotherly affection, 

and brotherly affection with love.

   For if these qualities are yours 

and are increasing, 

they will keep you from being 

useless or unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

   The person who lacks these things 

is blind and shortsighted, 

and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 

   

Therefore, brothers, make every effort 

to confirm your calling and election, 

because if you do these things 

you will never stumble.

   For in this way, 

entry into the eternal kingdom of 

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

will be richly supplied to you.

2 Peter 1:3-11

Being a details person, when I go on a trip I check and recheck my luggage and tickets. Kevin laughs at me when a plane is involved because I will look at the schedule for take off and landing at least a dozen times. I'm always concerned that I didn't look at the time right and that in my head it's completley wrong. Trust me, it's happened before.

I'm not saying that being completely obsessive/compulsive is the way to go, but I believe Scripture suggests we should practice it a little in our Spiritual life. This is one area where we really don't want to miss the plane because we got it wrong in our heads! The New Testament often shows us we are encouraged to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), to "not give up" for "...our inner person is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16), and to train ourselves and strive for godliness (1 Timothy 4:6-10). It is the daily process by which we are being sanctified.

Now don't get me wrong, we were sanctified when we chose to sacrifice our lives for the sake of Christ, but we have not reached the ultimate goal yet. As my Pastor so aptly puts it, "We were sanctified, we are being sanctified, and one day we will be sanctified." We were washed by the blood, we are daily being washed by the blood (for the new sins we fall for), and one day we will get our final cleansing and be pure and holy forever at the resurrection. Until we reach that final day however, we must strive and work in order not to stumble.

To be richly supplied entry into the kingdom of heaven reminds me of my children:
We recently had basic cable run to our home for the first time in 8 years. We've had a television with DVD and VHS players, but never live TV. Thus, they had never experienced infomercials. Numerous times over the last month the children have run to me so excited about the amazing product they could get for only three easy payments of $60! They have no idea really what the product even is- but they want it!

That is how I feel about this section of Scripture. I really don't understand how a person can be richly supplied entrance into the kingdom of heaven instead of just gaining general admission, but I want it! Don't you? Well, He graciously has supplied the knowledge of how to obtain it:

We are to confirm our calling.