Great promises.

2 Peter 1:5-8
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 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. (NIV)

For this very reason…the reason is God’s great promises. Just before this Scripture, it says that God has given us all we need for life and Godliness through His great promises for us.

God doesn’t break promises. It is against His character. His purity leaves no room for deceit. If He says He will do something, He will. What most people don’t realize is that most of God’s promises are covenantal. We are in covenant with God altering how we need to see His promises. They are contingent upon our trust in Him and trust in God manifests in obedience to His commands. Let me give you an example of peace.

God promises a peace that transcends understanding, however, this peace is given when we pray consistently and persistently combined with a spirit of thanksgiving. If we pray sporadically about something, we have not fulfilled our part of the Covenant. If we do not find a way to be thankful for how God is using this difficult circumstance in our life, then we are not fulfilling our part of the Covenant. God is still gracious and He will move on our behalf, but not to the level of a peace that is beyond comprehension. But if we pray consistently with a spirit of thanksgiving, the full measure of His peace is released. (Philippians 4:4-7)

So, for this reason, Peter calls us to grow in our spirituality. We must put forth the effort to move beyond the simple faith needed for salvation and push into a higher formation of His heart in our spirit.

Ultimately, this spiritual pressing is leading to a higher level of love. Loving better is the key to unlocking the great promises of God. To love those who do not love us and to love when people do not return the love unleashes power from Heaven giving us the great promises of God.

This love supersedes our natural egocentrism and puts the well-being of others above our own. Doing what is best for others compared to what they want or what we want is where love must find itself in our hearts. This requires a cutting away of the sinful nature that has corrupted our original innocence and turned us inward so that we only love those who love us. But God has a greater love that brings a greater life. For these reasons, strive to love better.

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