Are you Close to God? In practice, this means continual prayer, Bible reading, fellowship with other mature believers, and the exercise of our faith in the daily events of our lives. This means we have our reliance in Him, becoming submissive and allowing His lead so we can proceed forward where He provides opportunities. When we realize we have the responsibility to “go,” to move in our faith, we can better have the intention and motivation to get up and get under Him.
Peter sends his greetings and blessings with solemn humbleness and intimacy to the people in the faith.
Conforming to the Likeness of Christ
Christ has given to us all we need in order to grow. We have His Spirit, His Word, His Fruit, and our faith community.
Our Faithful Growth in Christ!
The authentic knowledge of Christ that is revealed to us is the foundation of our faith.
The main theme of Peter’s message is stated here, to pay attention to Christ, not to falsehoods.
We are called to be understanding and patient! As “older” or more “mature” Christians we should gladly accept people who are “weaker” in faith.
Stripping Ourselves of What Holds Us
To enter the Kingdom of Heaven requires the kind of trust and faith in Christ that a child has that they will be cared for. It also means to be dependent on God and not on self. Children cannot achieve or pay for their own way just as we cannot do so for our place in heaven.
We are called to be understanding and patient! As “older” or more “mature” Christians we should gladly accept people who are “weaker” in faith.
We are called to get our minds lined up with God—His Way, His precepts, and His plan. We still have the old sinful nature residing within us. God declares us clean, but we do not become completely clean.
When you take a look at our culture, fast food places on almost every corner and countless opportunities to eat whatever you wish, even a committed Christian may never consider Fasting. Yet, one of the classic, Christian aspects of growing deeper in the faith is Fasting.
Why does John give us this preview of Heaven? Perhaps it is all about Hope, that vital fuel and stimulate necessary for all that we do successfully in life and for Him. It is also the fuel for us to be encouraged so we can encourage others—to prosper and grow in times of stress, suffering, and confusion. He has prepared a place for us; what is more wonderful than that?
The call Christ gives us is for us here is to move forward under His produce to produce the goods of “produce” by the Fruit of the Spirit with our faith. So, how can we do this? My proposal is that we do this from our committed and continual faith formation. The basics on how to grow closer to Christ and deeper in our walk with Him, and also how to draw near to the heart of God are the essential elements to put the “go” into action.
The incarnation simply means God came to be a man. He was fully man while remaining fully God. That way He could identify with our plight in life. As He lived a normal human existence for over 30 years, He experienced all that we experienced, including all the emotions, relationships, and temptations. Therefore, we can never say to Him, Hey, God, You do not understand my situation or me!
Are you a committed Christian or a surrendered Christian?
God has no obligation to save us or to show mercy, we have no right to receive God’s love or grace, yet He does.