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Final Words of Encouragement

Peter is sometimes referred to as the “apostle of hope”. He is quick with encouragement to all followers of Jesus. His final letter and words offer us great assurance in our calling. Peter, the once reactionary disciple has matured into the wise leader of the Church.

Peter leads with a beautiful list of qualities we should be going after in our own lives and then a powerful statement that should encourage us all. When we allow Jesus to shape these characteristics into our souls, we will NEVER be ineffective or unfruitful. Once again God through his people is reminding us that who we are is more important than what we do. And if we will be who God wants us to be, we will always be able to do what he wants us to.

A few years ago I spent a month living in this passage and I realized that somewhere along the years of ministry, I had rewritten verses 5-8 in my head. They sounded more like this:

“Complementing your basic faith with great events, “bless-my-plans” prayers, hit or miss disciplines, entitled frustration, quantitative effectiveness, shallow leadership, and no-cost love. With all these qualities active and growing in your lives, no event will lose money, no training will be ineffective, and no task force a waste of time.”

How I long to live the real 2 Peter 1:5-8

“Complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet and no day pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.”

Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-15 and 2 Peter 3:14-18

Reflection

· The qualities in verses 5-8 build upon each other. Which one are you struggling with the most currently? What might God be doing right now to refine that in you?

· Peter leaves a beautiful letter to believers as he comes to the end of his life. He has seen and experienced much. What would you like to tell young believers to encourage them based on what you have seen and experienced in following Jesus?