He Gives Us All We Need

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Have you ever faced a circumstance in life in which you simply didn’t feel prepared or equipped? Perhaps you lacked wisdom to make an important decision. Or maybe you faced a new role—like marriage or motherhood—and didn’t know what to expect. Maybe you encountered a season of intense suffering and simply didn’t have the strength to endure it. In this passage, Peter tells us that God has given us all that we need to live for the glory of God. Whatever the circumstance, believers have “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Calvin describes this as “God has copiously unfolded the immense resources of his power.”

Do we live as though that is true?

Does “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” only refer to things like learning and studying the Bible? Or maybe serving in a ministry at the church? Or to the work of missions? Is it limited to certain areas of life?

What about when we’ve been without a job for a year? Does his divine power grant us what we need then too? Or when we’ve been betrayed by one we’ve loved and trusted? Or when we learn our child has a disability? Or when we receive hard news from the doctor about recent blood work?

Does God’s divine power provide what we need for life and godliness in the face of hard things?

Matthew Henry notes that “all things” includes: “All things that have any relation to, and influence upon, the true spiritual life, the life and power of godliness, are from Jesus Christ; in him all fulness dwells, and it is from him that we receive, and grace for grace (Jn. 1:16), even all that is necessary for the preserving, improving, and perfecting of grace and peace.”

Life in this fallen world is filled with hardship. None of us escape the effects of sin, whether our own sin, other’s sin against us, or the effects of sin on the created world around us. As Jesus pointed out, he didn’t come to save those who are healthy, but those who are sick (Mk. 2:17). This means, God doesn’t call to himself those who are capable, prepared, and equipped. He doesn’t call those who already have it all together. He calls the desperate, the weak, the needy. He calls messy sinners to himself by his grace, through faith in the Son, and saves us from sin. He then gives us everything we need to live for him in this world. He gives us the spiritual wisdom we need to navigate difficult decisions. He gives us strength to do the things he’s called us to. He gives us grace upon grace. And he does so through “knowledge of him.” Faith in Christ is the conduit through which we receive “all things.”

In Christ, we have all that we need to live for the glory of God.

Peter then tells us that we becomes “partakers of the divine nature” through “his precious and very great promises.” God’s word—his promises to us—changes and transforms us through the work of the Spirit who sanctifies us by the word of truth (Jn. 17:17). We are being remade into the image bearers we were created to be. And the Westminster Confession points out that our ability to live a life of godliness comes from the Spirit (16.3) who works in us to put sin to death and put on righteousness. The Spirit convicts, encourages, teaches, and transforms us to live as children of the Father.

God calls us to himself and then supplies what we need to live for him. In whatever circumstances we face, we can turn to him, cry out in prayer, and ask him to supply the wisdom, strength, endurance, and help we need to live for him.

Photo by Amy Tran on Unsplash

The Importance of Struggle

When my kids were young, we spent our days doing science experiments. We studied everything from animals to geology, plants to electronics. Unfortunately for me, some of our experiments included bugs and other like creatures—not a personal favorite! They once had a ant farm where we received an envelope in the mail filled with ants and had to somehow get them all inside a clear plastic rectangular box where they would proceed to tunnel through thick gel while we watched them do their ant thing. Another time, my son decided he wanted to watch the life cycle of meal worms—these we kept in the garage, because, ew! The only one I tolerated was when we studied butterflies.

Like the ant farm, this kit sent caterpillars in the mail that we then had to feed and leave in a mesh enclosure and wait for them to grow, molt, form a chrysalis, and then change into butterflies before setting them free. It’s a fascinating process and one which you are likely familiar. One interesting fact is that when they are about to emerge from the chrysalis, they release a chemical that strengthens their wings so they can fly. They will move inside the chrysalis, pumping this chemical throughout their wings. They have to remain hanging upside down during this process. If they release from the chrysalis early, before this process is complete, their wings will be useless. This means the struggle is important and necessary for their survival as butterflies.

As a rule, we as humans tend to shy away from struggle. We want growth without the growing pains. We want strength without the work. We want God to make us holy immediately rather than have us go through the refiner’s fire. We want life to go smoothly, without hardship or trial. And we want that for our loved ones as well. But the Bible tells us that is not how God works in our lives. It is through struggle that we are transformed. As Paul wrote in Romans 5: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (vv.3-4). Hebrews 12 teaches that God disciplines or trains us in order to make us holy and the process is for our good: “he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (vv.10-11).

The Reformer, Martin Luther, describes the Christian life as one of growth. It is a process: “This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.” God is preparing us now for eternity. He is stripping away all that is impure within us. He is reshaping us into the image of his Son. And one day, when we stand in his presence, that process will be complete. We will be whole and healed. We will be glorified.

When we watched our butterflies do their work to leave their chrysalis, had we interfered in some way, or tried to quicken the process, we would have kept them from transforming into butterflies. They needed to struggle. And when they finished the struggle and began flying around the little mesh tent, we brought them outside, unzipped the door, and set them free.

We are all in process. God is doing a good work in us. May we not resist the struggle.

Photo by Dominik Rešek on Unsplash

The Transitions that Shape Us

Transitions in life can be hard, whether you expect them or not.

I remember when my boys were little and they struggled with transitioning from one activity to the next. I would prepare them for it by saying things like, “In fifteen minutes, we’ll have to clean up the toys because then it’s time to: have lunch, go to an appointment, take a nap, etc.” I’d then give them the five-minute warning. Then I’d tell them it’s time to put the toys away and there’d be all sorts of complaining.

The worst was when I had to prepare them to leave a friend’s house because it was time to return home!

Life is filled with transitions, both big and small. Some we look forward to, others we don’t. Some we expect and prepare for, and others seem to catch us by surprise. No matter the transition, and whether we see its arrival on the horizon or not, any change in life often comes with some kind of struggle or challenge.

When I finished college and started applying for my first job, I remember just wanting to find something in my field. After all, that’s why I went to college, right? I nearly accepted a job as a bank teller because I couldn’t find anything else when a position opened at a domestic violence shelter. I was thrilled! It was a counseling position working with women in abusive relationships. I couldn’t wait to use all my freshly honed skills and knowledge. I remember the feeling of excitement that finally I would be doing what I was called to do: help women and make a difference in their lives. Yet the transition from college to my first job in the field didn’t come without its challenges. That’s because my efforts were not received quite as I expected. I was twenty-one and newly married. The women in the shelter must have thought I was a kid and responded to me as such. They didn’t take me seriously. They questioned my skills and my ability to help them. It was a transition that stretched me in many ways. I was humbled and what I learned most from that experience was that I didn’t really know much at all.

Another big transition in life came when we went from being a family of two to a family of three. Having our first son was something my husband and I were thrilled about and looked forward to. But the transition was challenging and sometimes downright hard. I had a new person I was responsible for. There was so much to learn and I knew so little. I often felt helpless and inadequate. The changes to my life were rapid fire: My priorities changed. My expectations for daily life changed. The relationship dynamics between my husband and I changed. While it was a joy-filled time of life, it also stretched me in ways that continue on to this day.

Now I face a new life transition. It’s a transition that has been creeping up on me for some time now. It’s a transition I know is coming and I’ve tried to prepare for it but I also know that when it comes it will hit me hard. My oldest leaves for college soon and my youngest will follow not long after. That transition will be not unlike the days of being a brand new mom. Life will feel like it’s been flipped upside down. My day to day life will change in drastic ways. I will have to relearn how to do life without kids in the house. And I’ll have to learn how to parent adult children.

I already feel a bit like my kids used to when I’d tell them it was time to move on from something they enjoyed doing to another task. I want to cling to the present and ignore the future knocking at my door. I want things to stay the same. I don’t want to have to struggle through another life transition. But at the same time, I know this transition is good for both myself and for my sons. But as I look back on all the other transitions in life I’ve experienced—both the ones I looked forward to and the ones I resisted—I know there are important lessons for me to learn. I know there is good work that takes place in those challenges—work that God is doing in and through me. For it is in the stretching—in the push and pull on my heart—that I am shaped into the image of Christ.

Life is filled with change and transitions from one season to another. I know that many more are in my future. I want my heart to see these transitions as opportunities to grow in Christ-likeness. I want to see God in them. I want to depend upon him as I walk through them. Even more, I want to rejoice in the struggle, knowing that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:3-5).

How about you? What life transitions have shaped you? And how have you seen God’s hand at work in them?

Photo by Jens Lelie on Unsplash

Seminary, Five Classes In

A few years ago, a board member at my alma mater said to me, “Every Christian should go to seminary.”

I had long tossed the idea around of taking seminary classes, but life always seemed too full and too complicated. The older I got, the more reasons I found not to do it.

But after our conversation, I picked up the idea again. I tried it on and considered it. I talked to other women I knew who had gone to seminary to get their perspective. I went for a tour and asked lots of questions.

And then I made the leap.

I imagine there are others out there who have also considered taking seminary classes. Perhaps you’d like to understand your Bible better. Perhaps you love theology and know you will enjoy talking with other likeminded students. Perhaps you are like me and want to take classes to help you in your writing or teaching. Perhaps you desire a degree to equip you in your current work in ministry or to prepare you for future Kingdom work. For all these reasons and more, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

One thing I know to be true: There will never be a perfect time in life to pursue theological training. There are always going to be barriers and interruptions that make it difficult to add classes to an already full life. I’ve been taking classes in between writing projects (because to be honest, my middle age brain can only do so many things at once!) But that doesn’t mean that everything goes smoothly when I do take a class. This semester found me faced with multiple distractions, most of which were unexpected. Every time I planned to devote a day to studying, inevitably someone needed my help. A child got sick. An important errand needed attending to. An unexpected task needed my attention. Life simply got complicated.

So, yes, it is hard to add something like a class to the busyness of everyday life. But it’s also worth it. The classes I’ve taken have answered so many questions I’ve long had about the Bible and the Christian faith. They’ve given me words and categories to better express what I believe and why. They’ve helped enrich my faith, adding a beautiful depth and awestruck wonder to what I already knew. I’ve loved every class. Each one has taught me things I didn’t even realize I needed to know. Each one has drawn me closer to my Savior. And I think that’s why my friend believes every Christian should go to seminary, for it strengthens a believer’s walk with the Lord.

Everyone asks me if I am just auditing classes or pursuing a degree. I always respond that eventually— hopefully—I will earn a degree. I’m just on the ten to twelve year plan, taking one class at a time.

I am currently finishing up my fifth class with RTS (Hermeneutics). It’s the class my pastor told me would be the most important class I’d ever take in seminary. While I took Hermeneutics in undergrad, at the seminary level, it went much deeper than what I previously learned. I’ve finished the class with the realization that I have so much more to learn! This class has pushed me, challenged me, and fed me. It will be foundational to all the other classes I’ve yet to take.

If you’d like to try seminary on for size, many offer free online lectures to give you taste of what to expect. There are also many class options to fit your life and schedule, whether in-person classes or virtual. Some offer certificates in addition to degrees.

As Christians, we should seek to grow in our knowledge of God and his word. We should seek to be equipped to live as his ambassadors and emissaries in this world. And seminary is one way to do that.

What about you? Have you attended seminary or considered it?

For Those Prone to Forget

I recently got up and proceeded to get ready for the day, preparing to take my son to school. As I gathered my purse and keys, I called for him, “Are you ready to go?”

He came into the kitchen, still dressed in pj’s. “Mom, it’s Good Friday. I don’t have school today.”

Sigh. Oh, yeah.

I am increasingly forgetful. So much so, I have monthly, weekly, and daily lists to remind me of where I need to go and what I need to do. Apparently, even those aren’t sufficient for me to remember my son has a day off from school.

I don’t know about you, but I am also spiritually forgetful. I go about my day as though my life depends on me. I labor in my own strength. I put my trust in methods, plans, and to-do lists. I fret and worry and fear in the face of challenges and unexpected circumstances. I often feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped. In all these ways and more, I forget the power at work in me. I forget the gospel and its significance, not only for salvation, but for daily life and growth in grace.

The Apostle Peter wrote a letter to a group of believers, reminding them of the gospel and its power to transform them. He reminded them they’ve been given everything they need to live a godly life, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Friends, this is huge! Did you catch that? God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. All things!

He did this through the work of Christ on our behalf, who through his perfect life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection, secured for us all the promises of God. Through faith in Christ, we are united to him. We have the very Spirit of Christ living within us, making us partakers of the divine nature. That word, partakers, in the Greek is koinónos. It means mutual fellowship, sharer, partner. We share in God’s nature as we become increasingly more like Christ, through the power of his Spirit at work in us.

Peter then goes on to describe what it looks like to grow more and more like Christ (vv.5-7). These are qualities that characterize sharing in the divine nature. They are the natural outworking of the Spirit’s power in and through us. These qualities help us bear fruit for the Kingdom (v.8). These are not characteristics that save us; rather, they are produced in us by the Spirit as we live out the realities of our salvation in Christ.

• virtue

• knowledge

• self-control

• steadfastness

• godliness

• brotherly affection

• love

He then cautions, “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (v.9). Peter could refer here to those who verbally expressed faith in Christ but did not have a transformed heart. Or he could refer to true Christians who have wandered from the truth. Either way, such forgetfulness is serious. Friends, it is crucial that we remember our salvation. The good news of the gospel is that not only are we saved by grace, but we are also transformed by grace. God calls us to grow in the likeness of Christ and then he provides us all we need to do so. Amazing grace!

When we find ourselves living life apart from the gospel; when we find ourselves living as though everything is up to us and our own strength, wisdom, and power; when we find ourselves stagnant in our growth in godliness; we need to remember the gospel which saved us. We need to remember the promises of God for us in Christ: We are his children (Jn. 1:12); He will make us like the Son (1 Jn 3:2); He will persevere us to the end (Phil. 1:6); We have an inheritance in heaven (1 Pet. 1:4), among many others.

Forgetting what day it is (an all too often problem for me!) is a challenge. Forgetting an appointment is problematic. Forgetting the one thing you went to the grocery store to pick up is annoying. But forgetting what Christ has done for us in the gospel is far worse. May we go to great lengths to remember and rehearse the truths of the gospel each day, relishing in the truth that God has given us everything we need to live for him.

Investing in Spiritual Health

In my younger years, I often took my health for granted. Oh, I checked in with a doctor at least once a year and if I was really sick, I sought medical treatment. But I generally gave little thought to my health, other than going to the gym and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

But the older I get, the more I’ve focused my time and energies on maintaining good health. The more I find myself doing things to maintain the health that I have. The more my supplements have increased. The more time I spend at the doctor.

I see my chiropractor each month for chronic back problems and do stretching exercises each morning to prevent back pain. I see my dermatologist for a yearly skin check and use various creams and lotions each day to protect my skin from the sun. I get an allergy shot each month, regularly dust my house, and take medication as needed to prevent allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Not to mention annual blood work and other tests to monitor my health for any problems.

As one who only goes to the doctor when he is sick, my husband teases me for all these preventative measures. But I’ve learned the hard way that prevention is the best medicine. If I stop stretching my back each morning, I’ll soon find myself whimpering in pain. If I don’t take efforts to protect my skin, I’ll soon myself needing spots biopsied or removed—especially after all those years of soaking in the Florida sun!

I know I’m not alone in the pursuit of good health. Every year around this time we are bombarded with health and wellness ads. We are invited to invest in new exercise equipment, diet programs, and supplements. And to good effect: Americans spend over $4 trillion a year on health and wellness, not to mention all that we spend on medical treatment and prescriptions.

I looked at my calendar recently and saw several yearly check up appointments lined up in a row. As I thought about the time I invest in maintaining my health, I was convicted about my spiritual health.

Do I invest just as much time, effort, and attention to my relationship with God?

If I commit to my physical health in this way, should I not also commit even more to my spiritual health?

And what would it look like if I did?

The Apostle Paul wrote: “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). The time and money we invest in our physical health does have value. It is good to take care of the body God gave us. But such an investment is limited to just this life. The investment we make in godliness, in our spiritual growth, has eternal value. It pays dividends that will last forever.

What does it look like to investment in our spiritual health and growth? It’s not something elaborate or complicated. It’s doesn’t necessitate new inventions or technology. While it does take time, it doesn’t consume time we don’t already have. The method is the same as it was from the start: the means of grace. Prayer. Bible study. Worship. Communion. Fellowship with the Saints. God provides these means to strengthen us in our faith. He uses them to feed and nurture our souls. He uses them to change and transform us into the image of his Son. While commitment to a certain diet or exercise regimen may or may not produce the outcome we desire, commitment to pursuing the means of grace will bear fruit in our lives.

Paul also wrote, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Our pursuits to grow in holiness should be intentional, purposeful. We don’t want these pursuits to be aimless; they should push us forward to the goal. Further, Paul urges self-discipline in our appetites and passions—our sin nature— so that they don’t get us off track. This means the pursuit of spiritual health is not for the lazy. It takes work and effort. Our sin nature will want us to slack off and find reasons not to pray or study God’s word. It will find excuses for us not to attend church and worship our Savior. This is why Paul says we must “run that you may attain it” or as the NLT puts it, “run to win!”

The good news is that our efforts to pursue spiritual health and growth are not left to us alone. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). It is God who ensures that we grow in the knowledge of him. He makes certain we have what we need to live for him (2 Pet. 1:3). He guarantees we finish the race. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Praise him for this grace at work in our lives!

As we invest in our physical health at the start of this new year, may not forsake our spiritual health. May we run the race of faith to win the prize of Jesus Christ.