TEXT:
‘So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:17-18 NLT).
The epistles Peter wrote don’t take long to read, but they are packed with truth and well worth meditating upon. Today’s Teaching highlights four words that will help us to avoid error and experience the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first key word we studied was Faith, the second is “Precious”.
It may be surprising that Peter, a rugged fisherman, used the word “Precious”, but it accurately described his relationship with Jesus. Peter was known for being impetuous, outspoken and even proud of what he had given up to follow Christ, but he never forgot he had been a sinful man, who continued to make mistakes, even denying he ever knew Jesus. Yet he was able to hold on to the promise of Jesus, ‘I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers’ (Luke 22:32 NLT).
In the life of Peter, like the woman who wept and washed the feet of Jeus with her tears (See Luke 7:40-48), we see the truth that the one who is forgiven much, loves much in return.
In his epistles, Peter used the word “Precious” eight times, and these form the basis for Today’s Teaching.
1. Precious Faith – ‘These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world’ (1 Peter 1:7 NLT).
‘To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have been given a faith as precious as ours’ (2 Peter 1:1 GNT).
How hard people strive to create wealth and amass silver and gold. Yet precious faith is much more valuable. It cannot be earned or bought. It can only be received as a free gift from God. That’s why it’s easy to under-estimate its true worth.
Faith is precious too because it can create wealth in heaven that cannot be stolen, corroded or devalued by inflation. Of all the precious things you have, including your children, do you have precious faith?
2. Precious Blood – ‘For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God’ (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Jesus said, ‘Do you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life’ (Mark 8:36-37 GNT).
‘We can never redeem ourselves; we cannot pay God the price for our lives, because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough’ (Psalm 49:7-8 GNT).
What did it cost Jesus to redeem us, when it was impossible for us to redeem ourselves? His own precious blood!
Jesus shed His blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, so we could overcome our natural fears and do the will of God (See Luke 22:41-44).
Jesus shed His blood when they forced the crown of thorns upon His head. Thorns speak of the curse and Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law, so the blessing of Abraham can come upon us (See Galatians 3:13-14).
Jesus shed His blood when they scourged His back, so that through His stripes we can be healed (See Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24).
Jesus shed His blood when they nailed Him to the cross, so that we could be forgiven for every sin we have committed and find peace with God, ‘Having made peace through the blood of His cross’ (Colossians 1:20).
In the light of the above, it’s not hard to believe that the blood of Jesus is precious!
3. Precious Saviour – ‘Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious’ (1 Peter 2:4)
‘As the Scriptures express it, “See, I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone of my church, and I will never disappoint those who trust in him.”’ (1 Peter 2:6 TLB).
‘Yes, he is very precious to you who believe; and to those who reject him, well—“The same Stone that was rejected by the builders has become the Cornerstone, the most honoured and important part of the building” (1 Peter 2:7TLB).
We can appreciate the cost for our salvation – His blood, but what’s our appreciation and relationship like with the One who shed His blood. Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” Each time Peter replied “Yes”, even stressing, “Lord you know that I love You” (See John 21:15-19). When we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments and want to fellowship with Him daily, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
4. Precious Character – ‘But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God’ (1 Peter 3:4 AMPC).
The context refers to wives, but men are included too. A gentle and peaceful spirit may not be appreciated on earth, but it is certainly noticed in heaven. The Bible says, ‘A good name is better than precious ointment’ (Ecclesiastes 7:1). Godly character can have a powerful effect on the unsaved.
5. Precious Promises – ‘And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires’ (2 Peter 1:4 NLT).
Peter wrote, ‘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 marvellous glory and excellence’ (2 Peter 1:3 NLT).
We have wonderful promises about God’s presence, prosperity, healing and deliverance, as well as those that enable us to live a godly life. How precious is that!
Meditate on the above scriptures daily and see God’s promises being outworked in your life.
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