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(2 Peter 1:10 ERV) My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all this, you will never fall.
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Growing in Grace.” Yesterday we took a look at this verse (v.10), and we focused on the first part of the verse, where Paul taught us to make every effort to confirm our calling. The end of the verse says, “If you do all this, you will never fall.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. You have a vote in whether or not you succeed in life. While the message of grace takes the pressure off of us, and it puts the spotlight of our life on God, embracing the grace of God does not mean you will not have to do anything. Peter made it clear that we must add “good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love” to our faith. Who is supposed to do the adding? We are. Some mistake the message of grace to mean that God will do everything for you. Others foolishly think that God has no role in their lives and they seek to accomplish everything solely by their own strength. My point is that it is not “all God” or “all you.” God called you by grace and He expects you to grow in grace as you develop your faith. But if you don’t do your part you will not experience God’s best for your life.
2. God expects you to cooperate with Him. Peter told us that we are supposed to “confirm our calling and election.” God provided the calling, but we are supposed to live our lives in a way that confirms it. While God called you by grace, He expects you to pursue the calling by faith. God will not force you to do it. You are not a puppet and God is not a puppetmaster. For God to fully operate in your life you must cooperate with Him.
3. Successful faith is faith that aligns with God’s grace. God expects you to live by faith (see Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38, Hab 2:4). But faith is not you coming up with something and then attempting to get God to do it for you. Faith is not you attempting God to put a “yes” on your plans. No, faith is God attempting to get you to put a “yes” on His plans. God’s plan is for you to learn what He has already given you by His unearned grace and for you to then attempt to receive it by faith. This way you live your life by faith, and you receive God’s best by faith, but it is still by God’s grace (see Rom 4:16).
4. God wants you to succeed in life. The Apostle Peter said, “If you do all this, you will never fall.” It is obvious that God does not want you to fall or fail. God gave you His Son to save you from sin, His Spirit to empower you with the Supernatural, His Word to provide His will and wisdom documented, His grace to do what you could never do on your own, and His calling to the plans He made for you before the world began. God has done His part. All He is looking for from you now is faith. If you are failing in life it is not God’s fault and you are certainly not living God’s will. God wants you to discover, develop in and then deploy in pursuit of the manifestation of His divine purpose for your life. If you are not doing that, then it is time to make some changes.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your amazing grace. It is clear to me that You want me to succeed in life. I know it is Your will that I prosper and be in health. I know You want me to have everything I need to maximize my purpose and potential, and You also want me to have the health to enjoy it. You gave me Your Son to save me from sin. You gave me Your Spirit to empower me with the Supernatural and to give me access to the Spiritual realm. You gave me Your Word so that I could know Your will and receive Your wisdom on a daily basis. You called me with a holy calling, not because of my works, but because of Your purpose and grace, which You gave me in Christ Jesus before the world began. You have given me everything I need to make the most of my life. So by faith I declare that I FIND, FOLLOW and FINISH Your divine plan for my life. You reveal to me what You have already given me by Your unearned grace and I pursue it with my faith. I live my life by faith, that it might be by grace, and I shall experience the life I was destined to live. I grow in grace, I develop my faith, and I experience supernatural success in every area of my life. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
