Prior to this BLOG -- I wrote a weekly devotional that was sent to our church family -- from time to time I am going to dust off one of those little gems and share it with the blogasphere. Below is one I wrote in 2005 -- the topic was consistency......
Do you ever feel like life is a see-saw and you are being pulled from one side to the other? You just get something resolved and another thing pops up that needs your attention. You get one relationship healed and growing and then you have another one go haywire? You get growing in your walk with Christ and then you stumble? I read something this morning that I was amazed to read…
2 Peter 1:10-11 (NASB95)
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Peter is challenging his readers that consistency in the Christian life is a sure way to not stumble…but isn’t that the problem. When I am inconsistent as a believer - I have already stumbled! My stumbling is my inconsistency. It is like saying that the only way to get over the fear of flying is to fly! I picture a man standing at the opening of the plane for hours contemplating boarding the plane and really wanting to board but not being able to do so. He is stuck! But wait, Peter slipped in a qualifier to the passage: “For as long as you practice these things…” Practice means to give it a try, to make an attempt, to rehearse something that later will be done for real. WHAT THINGS? They are listed in the previous verses…
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:4-8 (NASB95)
Peter tells us that we should be practicing these things consistently in our lives. What do they mean?
• Diligence…an earnest attention to what is expected – do what you know you must do!
• Faith…a full commitment to Christian teaching – trust and obey!
• Moral excellence…literally, “virtue,” or goodness – do the right things! .
• Knowledge…understanding drawn from God’s revelation – you can’t live the Word if you’re not in the Word!
• Self-control…the ability to “hold yourself in.” It’s better to hold back and discipline yourself!
• Perseverance…steadfastness in the face of opposition. Don’t give up!
• Godliness…conduct that shows we are aware of God’s presence. Remember, He is watching you!
• Brotherly kindness…real affection for our fellow Christians. Are you demonstrating that kind of affection to one another in the Body this week?
• Love…a real commitment to do good to others. Express love to all you come into contact with!
Then Peter gives us a promise saying that such qualities will “keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8). The more we practice them, the greater knowledge we will have of Christ. The person who is fully committed to living for Jesus is unlikely to be drawn away to follow false teachers or ungodly living – aka “stumbling.” Rather, it is the inconsistent, lukewarm and indifferent Christian who is susceptible. So what you and I need to do is to give it a try, rehearse these things and over time they will be perfected in us! I know when I have been rehearsing for a drama, I have to keep going over a line and over time I will get it! It’s the practice that makes perfect! I think that is the same when it comes to consistency in the Christian life!
You might be thinking like me at this moment, “I hear that but can I really do that?” Peter again has the answer to that question. Look at verse 4…
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.
Not only should we practice these things, God has given us the power to do so through salvation when He imparted to us His divine nature. He not only asks us to do these things, He gives us the ability to do them! Not a bad deal. All so that we will not stumble!
You know we have so much inconsistency and tossing from one thing to the next in our lives that we need some stability. Spiritual stability is available. That is really encouraging! But better yet, we can experience that stability – that is even more encouraging!!! Why not give it a try this week? Look over the list of practices for consistent living that Peter has given us. Which one can you work on this week? Then pick one for next week. But keep working on this week’s as well. Then the third week, add another and keep the first two going and so on and so on…until you have all nine mastered! My guess is that the whirlwind of the world will be whipping around you but you will be living with a soul anchored to the rock of your salvation – the Lord Jesus.