After 3 years with Jesus, Peter is still impetuous, impulsive, and insecure. Remember in the garden how he draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the nearby soldier? And just a few hours later he's in the courtyard denying Christ. Poor thing, lacking the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter is a mess.
I can identify with this Peter. I'm sure many others can too. But what's so attractive about Peter isn't his raw humanness; its his transformation. Oh how God loves us. The word says he knew us before we were born and he fashioned us in our mother's womb. But God never intended us to stay immature. He desires to take all those coarse personality traits and transform them into a magnificent and distinctive thing of beauty. Because I'm a girl who loves jewelry.....I think of myself as a plain ordinary rock that God is chiseling away to become something like the Hope diamond. Not for my gain or beauty but for God's glory! It's what he did for Peter.
Take a look at 2 Peter, chapter 1. I've always regarded that Peter's transformation was a work of God through the Holy Spirit. And by no means do I intend to change that position. It always begins and ends with God. But I also think we have some responsibility to cooperate and mature. And I just keep wondering if there's something I'm missing. How did Peter go from A to Z in just a few months? I've been a believer many, many years and I dare say I haven't even gotten to M. Then I read (well and studied) 2 Peter 1:1-9.
There is so much in these verses it blows my mind. Verse one alone is so profound. It begins with Simon Peter, a servant. Peter never failed to remember he was once Simon, but Jesus called him Peter. Peter knew his past but he also knew his future and Peter was certain of his calling. In humility he did not consider himself better than others, but served them as Christ served.
Look with me at 2 Peter 1:5-7: "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."
Very specific instructions to make every effort to grow....to mature in Christ Jesus. What helped me the most was looking up and writing down the definition of the words in this list. Sure, I had a working knowledge of these words but something struck me as I wrote out each definition.
Virtue: conformity to a standard of right
Knowledge: a skill you gain from education and experience
Self-Control: control over your feelings and actions
Steadfastness: firm in purpose
Godliness: conforming to the ways of God
Brotherly affection: affection for and devotion to
Love: Christ-like, 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love
I noticed this progression of behavior changing and knowledge learning determination to "take every thought captive" and to "lay hold of." And I wondered out loud if this 55 year old had the strength. And I asked God to teach me. And then my eyes fell upon verse 3. Oh such sweet words....
I liked the Common English Version best: "By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory."
I already have all I need. Peter knew it. Now we know it too. So no more excuses. I have everything I need to go from Simon to Peter. But it requires knowledge of the one who called us. Get to know Jesus. Get to know him well and watch your life transform. Digging deeper because I want others to know I've been with Jesus.
