Yesterday we began to unpack the wealth of knowledge in II Peter 1, but we only scratched the surface. In the King James Version of the Bible, Peter uses the word knowledge five times in the first eight verses of this book.
His letter to us is short and to the point. This fisherman, who followed Christ, is doing exactly what Jesus commissioned him to do. He has become a fisher of men.
We left off at the end of verse three yesterday and so we’ll pick up with verse four.
“God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:4 CEV
Read that again. I don’t want you to miss it.
Many believe that the Bible is just a list of rules; things we can do and things we can’t. If that’s the only concept we have, we are severely lacking in our knowledge of God. His word is filled with great and precious promises, each one given to empower us to be victorious in this life. Each promise is part of our inheritance as God’s children, transforming us by His divine nature, (His DNA).
“Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God’s own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.” II Peter 1:4 NLV
Honestly, these verses were life-changing for me. Realizing that every promise in the Bible is mine revolutionized my thinking about God’s love and acceptance of me. My Father wasn’t wanting me to fail, on the contrary, He has given me His promises for my success. This was new knowledge.
“ Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. 9 But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.” II Peter 1:5-9 CEV
The word “understanding” can also be translated knowledge. Knowledge is understanding God’s amazing plan for our future, a plan for our success.
“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV
My hope is that these morning blogs build a desire in you to know more of God’s word; to experience more of His promises and to discover all the Father has for each and everyone of you.
“You are holding firmly to the truth you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things.” II Peter 1:12 CEV
I will continue to remind you of the Father’s promises because knowledge of Him empowers each of us to be who He created us to be!