Greetings Part 2 - Some Thoughts on 2 Peter 1:1-2

1:2 – May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

A prayer on behalf of his readers is offered by the Apostle in this verse. Peter’s request is virtually the same as the one Paul usually makes in his epistles. It is a simple prayer of greeting. He seeks the Lord to grant them more and more grace and peace.

Most Bible students understand the meaning of grace. Simply put, grace is God doing for us what we do not deserve. Surely every true Christian who understands the Word of God realizes that God has done everything for us, and we deserve absolutely nothing but death, judgment, and eternal damnation. Instead, he has given us life now, hope for the future, and eternal life with Him!

Given all the grace God has already granted to us, it seems bold to seek God for more grace. Yet God hears our requests and gladly gives to His children. May we always seek for God’s grace in our life.

And, of course, with grace comes peace. In fact, apart from God’s grace there is no peace. Without grace there is no true peace in one’s soul and there is no eternal peace for the soul. More grace equals more peace and that includes peace with God.

So, for his readers, Peter asks the Lord to rapidly increase (“multiply”) both grace and peace in the lives of his readers. Such a multiplication of these two godly attributes is the meaning of spiritual growth. Peter wants his readers to grow spiritually. We should desire such spiritual growth for every believer including our self!

And how does God multiply grace and peace in our lives? He does so through knowledge of Himself and His Son. The word “knowledge” in the original has a preposition prefix and may be translated “knowledge upon”. In this form, the word refers to “full” or “complete” or “deeper” knowledge of God.

Our Sovereign Creator has revealed Himself in His Son (the living Word) and in the Scriptures (the written word). His revelation is complete. He has provided us with all we need to know to experience eternal peace and happiness. The grace and peace our souls desire will grow only as we meditate and study on His Word.

We need a full knowledge of the character of God. We need a full knowledge of the purpose of God. We need a full knowledge of the workings of God. Knowing God is not a one-time act; it is a lifetime act.

But our knowledge needs to be more extensive. It must include a complete knowledge of our Lord, the Lord Jesus. We need a full knowledge of who He was, who He is, and who He will be. We need a full knowledge of Christ as our Prophet, our Priest, and our King. We need a full knowledge of Christ not only as our Savior but also as our Lord, for He is Lord of all.

Yes, let’s seek the Lord and ask Him for more grace and peace. But we must remember also that the Lord grows us spiritually through His Word.

May we seek Him in the Scripture, and may He grow us into the image of His Son!

Christmas Truly Means - Christmas 2018

Thanksgiving is past, December is here.

 The weather is cold, and Christmas is near.

Excitement will grow as the days roll by,

 Energetic kids from a sugar high!

The shoppers racing from that store to this,

 Seeking perfect gifts; no bargains they miss.

The music blares out, all hours of the day,

 Holiday singing is what they do play.

Decorations up, snow adds to the fun.

 The cards are all sent, thank goodness that’s done!

But, what have we learned, from all of this stuff?

 How to become mad and get in a huff?

Why do we permit, these yearly routines,

 To obscure Christmas, what it truly means?

Instead of presents, dwell upon God’s gift

 Our depressed spirits only He can lift.

Our judgment coming, He alone can free

 Providing ransom upon Calvary.

And, for that alone, each of us can say,

 We are so grateful, to have such a day.

Christmas truly means, our Savior is born

 And, so, when we rise, on that blessed morn,

Look past the gifts and tree and all the fun

 To see Lord Jesus, God’s begotten Son.

The Providence of God, an Election, and Answered Prayer

Praise the Lord for His providential hand in His execution of His eternal decree!  I am comforted knowing that God works ALL things according to the counsel of His will.  And ALL things includes an election such as took place yesterday.

The Presidential race was between 2 fallen candidates, 2 sinners; how could it be otherwise?  Both have sins charged against their account and both will add to that list over the remaining days of their lives.  No one, except Christ, is perfect.  Apart from the grace of God and the redemption of sin found in Christ, neither of these 2 individuals will spend eternity with the Savior.  

Because of their falleness, their plans are also not perfect.  Neither of them can save this nation.  Only God can do that.  But one candidate has a plan to restore this country to its greatness while the other has a plan merely to maintain the direction of the past 8 (or, perhaps, 24 years), a plan which has proven to be a failure.  The latter plan has led our country to the precipice of bankruptcy and insignificance in the world.  That plan has, at its core, a hatred of nationalism, patriotism, religion, and individual rights.  It seeks to have government, the federal government, serve as the master of each individual.  The income of the people, in this view, belongs to the ruling class in Washington, not to the people themselves.

Surely such a plan is straight from the devil's pen.  I firmly believe Satan has been behind those working to elect Hillary Clinton.  Oh, I doubt any of them believe or even sense that has been the case.  But the deceptions and outright lies attached to her candidacy adds support to this theory.  Satan is the master of lies, the master of deceit; certainly he has been a major contributor to that campaign.

Many prayers were offered up to God that He would intervene and save us from Hillary Clinton for the good of this country and the greatness of His name.  He certainly had no reason to do so.  Our nation has strayed far from Him.  He could have sat back and simply said, "you will reap what you have sowed", pretty much what has happened over the past 2 decades.  But prayers went up before His throne pleading, once more, for His mercy and grace.  I believe, God, in His providence, has answered our prayers.  Donald Trump, a fallen man, is now the President-elect; the certain success of Hillary Clinton has been thwarted, again, by the hand of the Almighty.

Let us give thanks to our God for giving us another opportunity to return to our Savior.  And let us lift up those elected yesterday, praying that each one comes to Christ, if lost, and serves this nation best by serving the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.