Apples of Gold

I try to be prepared but inevitably I will find myself in the middle of a project only to find I am missing something critical to the completion of my task. It could be an ingredient in a recipe or a paintbrush for my latest home improvement venture-regardless I have no choice but to stop what I am doing and make another trek to the store. I am likely not the only one who finds themselves frustrated when something is missing.

A quick trip to the store remedies these issues, but what do we do when we are missing something in our spiritual lives? My first thought tends to be that God has been withholding something from me, something required for my spiritual success. 2 Peter chapter 1 has some valuable insight on this topic:

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. Vs 3

So if God has given me everything I need to serve him successfully there is a disconnect between what is available to me and what I am accessing. The average person only uses about 10% of their brain. I have to wonder what percent of the things God has provided for me are actually being utilized? How many times have I run out the door to find that one item I am missing, only to return home with a cart full of everything except that thing I went there for in the first place. The item was in the store. I probably passed by it several times but for some reason I failed to pick it up and put it in my cart.

We all go through tough times. God doesn’t promise to make our challenges disappear; rather he promises to provide what we need to walk through them in a godly manner. Sometimes I find myself wanting to throw a temper tantrum like an undisciplined toddler, stomping my foot and declaring this isn’t fair! The Word of God says what it means and it means what it says. God has provided everything we need to live victoriously. So we can choose to do better.

These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. Vs 4

There it is again, our flimsy excuses cannot justify ungodly behavior. God has given us everything we need to get through the fire unscathed. Are we choosing to take advantage of his help?

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. I Corinthians 10:13

When temptation strikes, most of us are looking for a way out, but we are often wanting it to be our way out. God’s way out might not be the escape that we were hoping for. It might require self-sacrifice or walking away from something we would much rather hold on to. The tools to overcome have been provided by our loving Father. Peter laid out the plan of implementation in the next several verses of chapter 1:

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 2 Peter 1:4-8

Effort is required, in fact-every effort is required to respond. This list is quite extensive: faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection-and love for everyone. Notice how Peter links them all together. These disciplines build on each other culminating in productivity and usefulness. When the going gets tough, the godly get growing!

My father used to design elaborate treasure hunts when we were growing up. The clues would take us all over the property, inside and outside. Some required looking up Scripture, uncovering hidden clues, doing puzzles and more. It was worth the effort because we knew at the end we would find a treasure trove of candy and trinkets. The maturing process can be quite challenging but the reward is valuable. We occasionally catch a glimpse of our progress when our response to difficulty reflects spiritual growth rather than immature antics, as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through our lives.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7