Bible Passage:  2 Peter 1

⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

~ 2 Peter 1:9

Welcome to another late episode of our Bible reading devotion.  Sorry once again.

Today’s passage gave me a cause to pause…

2 Peter 1:9 says that if we lack in “these things”… we are short sighted, even to blindness and have forgotten our status as those who have been cleansed from our sins.

I emphasized the word “forgotten” because sometimes in the midst of our busy lives, we forget who we are.  Yes, who we really are.

Who are we?  What is our status?

I recently came across this Christian song that reminds me of who we are …

The chorus says this …

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be

We are no longer the man who we used to be.

We have been redeemed.  We have been set free.

So what are we doing with this gift of redemption?

Peter asked us many pertinent questions from verses 5 to 8 …

Ever since we believed in the Lord Jesus and accepted His blood with faith in baptism, have we been working with all diligence to nurture ourselves more?

Do we add to our faith virtue?  Are we a better person now than when we first believed?

What about knowledge?  Do we know the Bible more?  Or have we forgotten more than we have ever known because we do not read or study the Bible.

How’s your temper?  Do you still lose control of yourself?

Do you give up easily when things get tough?  When your paths do not run smooth and you realize that being a Christian is not always a bed of roses in this corrupt world… where is your perseverance?

How about godliness?  Are we more and more like Jesus?  Or we just sing it with our lips but in reality our new man is in danger of being the old man once again.

What about brotherly kindness?  Sometimes we behave like strangers in church, not even acknowledging one another or stretching out a helping hand.

Take this as a self assessment check.

Peter says that these are areas that are ours and should abound in them… and only in that way, we will not be unfruitful, a tree that awaits the day when the Lord comes and chops in down to be burned.

Be diligent once again… for this promise awaits …

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

~ 1 Peter 2:10-11

Something to think about once again.

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