SOAP Devotional 2014-05-07
Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer
Growing in Faith
Scripture:
So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10, 11 NLT)
Observation:
So, because you have been changed and empowered to over power sin, are growing to be more Christlike, and are now productive and useful in knowledge, then work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. If you do all these things, then you will never fall away from your salvation, and God will give you a grand entrance into heaven.
Application:
Christians overcome their old sins, grow in Christlikeness, and become productive and useful in their knowledge of Christ. But that is not the end of it, they work hard to prove themselves. As a note, salvation is a grace gift from God and we are not working to keep our salvation. We work because we are save and have been made a new creation in Christ. This is who we are. So why do we “work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen”? First this is as much about our witness as anything else. All of these changes and the fact that we are working hard for what we believe in proves to the world that we really are what we say we are and really believe what we say we believe. Secondly, going through this change process that brings us to a place where we work hard for the kingdom keeps us from growing lax and walking away. “Falling away” as spoke of in this passage is not about losing our salvation. It is about turning your back on God's plan for your life and eventually walking away from your salvation. If you are not moving forward, you are going backward.
Prayer:
Father, help me to continue moving forward within your way of how things should be done. Keep me from falling away and help me to show myself to really be a Christian by how hard I work for you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I enjoy Erving you more and more as the time moves on.
Growing in Faith text in context:
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-11 NLT)