Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises

2Peter 1:2-4 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

Do you hear this? Grace and peace be multiplied to you...when you partake in the knowledge of God and Jesus. Grace and peace...multiplied. That's amazing. When we receive Jesus the power of the Holy Spirit will help us understand this truth. There's that Holy Spirit again changing the way a person views their life and what's important in it. Without that change we have not allowed the Spirit to do a work. These are not things we can do on our own, in our human strength only through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

In the world we strive to be better, to do good. Through Christ, not in our own strength, the changes take place. Yes, the work takes a lifetime, but there should be an initial heart change. I've mentioned before my anger and rage subsided. I'm still not without fault but I know I don't harbor those horrendous feelings I had before Christ. It is through our knowledge of and our acceptance of Jesus and nothing else.

We learn what truth is and the nature of God, about His goodness and His judgment and somehow we are transformed. We see through His eyes and we change our way of thinking. Evil is no longer considered good and good can no longer be evil. Oh, the ways my thinking has changed. And I praise God for this. 

Although I see things differently in this world, it can be both frustrating and liberating. To know I'm on the side with the guys in the white hats is a good feeling. It's good to know that whatever happens in this world I am safe and secure in the loving arms of God. Whatever life throws at me I have a Lord and Savior to stand by me and give me strength.

These are the great and precious promises. I love that part of the scripture...the exceedingly great and precious promises. Those promises can be secured by anyone willing to let go of what they hold on to so dearly in this world and humble themselves before an exceedingly great and precious Jesus...our greatest Promise.

Acceptance of Christ will give us a divine nature. No, you cannot have the divine nature without first receiving Him. Sorry, it's the law! Being one with God is having the mind of Christ...knowing truth...unity. Jesus told us this Himself when He prayed: "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:20-21) Divine nature comes with believing and receiving Christ and becoming unified in that belief...unified in what Jesus believes and teaches. And if He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, well, what He teaches is true.

The world view will be seen with clarity. It will change how you think and feel about it. What was important in the world will fall away. Just as I wrote that, I had this vision of a metal mesh colander: In it were the things of the world and the things of God. The things of God were big enough to remain in the colander while everything else fell through. The things of God are bigger than the things of the world. The things of God are above, not below. The things of God are big enough to stand on their own while the things of the world are in actuality (in God's eyes) so small they can fall through the cracks and be blown away. The things of God will last. The things of the world will not.

Nothing we seek in this world will satisfy like knowing Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We are His offspring. We are united with Christ and one with the Father through Christ. In God the Father's eyes we have His Divine nature. If we know Him and are in relationship with Him He sees us through the eyes of Jesus, the One who has cleansed us from all unrighteousness through His shed blood. An exceedingly great and precious promise fulfilled.

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ....Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.  (Philippians 3:8, Psalm 73:25)