| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:1 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Have you settled for too little?” I love the way Peter began his letter that we know as “2 Peter.” He addresses it to those he believes have received a faith that is equal to the faith he received. He was referring to everybody who would read the letter and who had placed their faith in Christ. They have the same faith that Peter had. They believe in the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they have the same Holy Spirit living in their hearts, and they have the same Father in heaven. In that respect it is the same faith that Peter claimed. However, is it “equal” to Peter’s as we typically understand equal? We could each reasonably ask ourselves, “Is my faith on the same level and to the same degree as Peter’s faith was?” In that sense, and in that respect, I would have to say “No, my faith is not equal to Peter’s.” I am not of the same spiritual stature as Peter was when he wrote 2 Peter. Likewise, I’m not on the same level or of the same stature as many of the great saints of the faith, those from times past and many of those who are alive today. But could I be? Could you be? Maybe? One day? Yes, I’m certain it is possible. Too often we put the faith of others on a pedestal and conclude that they have achieved a degree of spiritual growth that we could never attain. But that simply isn’t true. We all believe in the same Lord and Savior, we all have the same Father in heaven, we all have the same Holy Spirit living in our hearts, and we all read the same Bible. We are all “equal” in that respect, but also, we all have a limitless capacity for spiritual growth. None of us will ever arrive, or be complete, or be done with spiritual growth until the day we arrive in heaven. So yes, you can grow and grow and grow and one day you too can potentially have a faith that rivals that of Peter’s. The question isn’t can we but will we. From the day of Pentecost forward, Peter spent his entire life fully committed to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. His life was all about serving the Lord, serving others in His name, sharing the Good News of the Gospel, and growing in faith. As a result, Peter grew exponentially in spiritual stature. The same is true for the great saints of the faith who you know, and whose faith you admire. Over the course of many years, they have faithfully lived out their faith and as a result, they have grown in spiritual stature. For many of us the problem is that we have inadvertently settled for less than what the Lord wants us to have. We haven’t been as faithful or as diligent as we could have been in living what we profess to believe and consequently, we are not where we want to be or could have been spiritually. I encourage all of us to recommit ourselves to the faithful practice of our faith. Daily prayer, Bible study, worship, service to others in the name of Jesus, and fellowship with other Christians are some of the basic practices of the faith that place us in a position before God whereby the Holy Spirit can bring about the spiritual growth God wants us to have. Please, don’t settle for less than what God wants you to have. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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