Surrender: A devotional on desperation, humility, and giving over

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." — 2 Peter 1:10-11 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Peter repeats the same phrase from vs 5, "make every effort". The Greek word he uses means, "make haste, endeavor, exert one's self, give diligence." Now he says we are to exert diligence to confirming our calling and election. What is "calling"? Ephesians 2:10 describes it as being, "created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God prepared in advance for us to do." 2 Timothy 1:9 says, "He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." Before time began, God thought of me and h...

 "For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins." — 2 Peter 1:8-9 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, These qualities that Peter has just listed in the preceding verses: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love; are all qualities that I can possess and I can possess them in increasing measure. If I do that, these qualities in my life will be the protective safeguard from an ineffective and unproductive life and being ineffective and unproductive in my knowledge of You. Ineffective means idle and lazy. There's no beneficial activity emanating from my life. I'm simply taking up space. Unproductive means unfruitful and barren. Like a tree with leaves but no produce. In John 15:2 You stated...

 "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love." — 2 Peter 1:5-7 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Since God has given me very great and precious promises and has invited me to partake in His divine nature, I am to exert all effort to add this list of qualities to my faith. These don't come automatically. These are character traits that are cultivated intentionally. Goodness  means virtue, moral excellence, virtuous thought, feeling, and action. It's the very character of God that defines what is good. Knowledge  means having a deeper, more perfect and enlarged understanding of our Christian faith. It's not just increased intelligence or accumulated facts, but moral wisdom that applies this knowledge. Romans 15:14, "I myself am convin...

"Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." — 2 Peter 1:4 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Thank you for every great and precious promise You have given me. Right now I choose to receive those promises and step into the reality that I am called, I am chosen, I have been invited into Your divine nature, and I have been given great and precious promises to do so. I remind myself that I have escaped the corruption in this world caused by evil desires. The desires of my flesh and of my enemy do not have a hold on me. Lord, aware of this, I now receive the promise You have for today; Your promises for me as I prepare to preach Your Word to a people in need of hope and truth. I now receive Your promises about who I am—my calling, my identity, my hope in You. I receive the promises You have given me over and over regar...

 "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." — 2 Peter 1:1-3 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, It's interesting that in Peter's second letter, he introduces himself as "Simon Peter." It's as if he is reminding himself who he once was. He calls himself first a servant of Jesus Christ, then as an apostle. Servanthood comes first. I am nothing if not first a servant of You, Lord Jesus. He's writing to those who have received and now share this precious faith in "our God and Savior Jesus Christ."  Peter believed as did Thomas when he said to You, "My Lord and my God!" The tw...

 "With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ." — 1 Peter 5:12-14 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, As Peter brings his letter to a close, he mentions the help of Silas, "whom I regard as a faithful brother." Lord, if there's an aim for my life as a servant of Christ, may I be a man who is called "a faithful brother." I want to be someone who is dependable, reliable, always ready to serve alongside another. I want to be a good steward of the gifts and opportunities presented to me. May it be others who praise me for my character more than any ability. "This is the true grace of God." Lord, may I be reminded today that this life ...

 "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." — 1 Peter 5:10-11 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, My God, who is full of all grace and kindness, has called me—given me a purpose and a name—to His eternal glory, the splendor of my King reflected in my life and His praise and honor, excellence and magnificence that He will have forever through You, Lord Jesus Christ. In this short life, I will have suffering. It's part and parcel of the calling. I have not been called to a life free from suffering. There's a point to this suffering because it is preparing me for this calling here on earth and for eternity in Heaven. But, the good news is that after I've suffered a little while—"a little while" means a scant few, small, a short amount of time—after that very short time,...