"You therefore,
beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your
own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory
both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:17-18 NKJ)
I've been on the
Lord's Under-Shepherds Team for the last thirty-eight years. And during that
time I have seen people start the Christian race and give-up. Others have
started, stumbled, -- some fell -- got up and finished the race. As a pastor, I
have often wept over the fallen and wondered if there was a key to finishing
the race.
At the end of his
life, the Apostle Paul wrote: "I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7 NKJ). Now, I know there is only one Apostle Paul, but I am confident that every Christian
can fight "the good fight," finish the race, and keep the faith.
Is there a key to
successfully finishing the race? The biblical answer is, "yes." What
is the key? Again we see the answer in the Bible. The first step in finishing
the race is to determine that nothing shall separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
One way to
accomplish this is to remember that Jesus said, "see that no one deceives
you." I've been thinking about writing on this subject for a long
while, but simply hadn't done it. We can toy with many ideas, theories,
theological concepts or principles, but when thinking of finishing the race,
the Bible keeps us on track.
While looking for
nuggets about growth and maturity, I saw that Apostle Peter's second epistle
was written "To those who have obtained like precious faith with us . .
." (2 Peter 1:1 NKJ). I read his warning that some people destroy
themselves by twisting the Scriptures to fit their own desires (3:14-16). And I
asked myself, "as a Christian, how do I defend against such
deceptions?"
And there at the end
of Peter's marvelous letter I found the key, which beamed back at me as I read:
"grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ." It is simple, profound and direct: Don't fall for the errors of
the wicked. Instead, increase in both the grace of Christ and the knowledge of
Christ.
Dear Father, thank
you for the guidance of your Word. Enable me to grow in both the grace and
knowledge of Christ. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Where Are You
Growing? What Are You Learning?
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