2 Peter 1:9-10 - “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give the diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

This text is a serious warning to those who claim to have Christ. Apostle Peter declares here that if these virtues are lacking in your life, there are only two reasons:

1. You are truly saved but disobedient and a rebellious child of God.

2. You are not saved at all. You do not have the faith of Christ.

I pray that you do not belong in any of these two categories. If you are, there is still hope.

God has given His children all things pertaining to life and service. The saving faith has allowed us to do what we cannot normally do. If the faith you claim to have is not doing its work, maybe you are not living by faith, which is essential for God to use and bless you.

The faith God gave us is power! It is alive and dynamic. But it will not move if our lives are not right with God. This living faith grows from a “grain of mustard seed” to a faith that “can move mountains.” Let us not frustrate its purpose and potential in us. Every time we sin, and our faith weakens, the Holy Spirit, the carrier and agent of faith, is quenched when we fail to do what is right. He is grieved when we commit sin.

Our disobedience can never stop the working of faith. God will not wait for us to get right with him if we refuse. It simply means that when we fail to live by faith, we will lose our rewards and the opportunity to glorify God. The genuine child of God will be miserable without living by faith.

On the other hand, some people profess to know Christ, but in reality, they do not possess Christ. They can talk, act, and look real, but inwardly, they are not. Their works reveal it.

The professing Christian can also work but for the wrong reason. That is why they can be known by “their works.” Are their works acceptable to God? If it is not of faith, it is sin!

Our text tells us to make our calling and election sure diligently. Are we sure that the faith we claim to have is genuine? The faith of the Son of God is not dead. It is not even passive. It does its work indeed and entirely.

May our faith be the faith of Jesus Christ that continues to grow, mature, and produce additional fruits of righteousness and godly virtues and manifest the love of Christ.

Our Prayer today:

Our loving Father, we ask for your guidance and wisdom to act on the faith you have given us. Help us not to hinder the outworking of the Holy Spirit through us.

We know, Father, that your faith is true and powerful. It always does its purpose in us. May we be in tune with your purpose and allow your faith to be revealed through us.

Forgive us, Father, because even in life and service, we are not moved by your faith. We allow our pride to control us. We do not show godly virtues because we look at Christian life and our service to you as a duty and not as an opportunity to exercise our faith.

Thank you, Father, and we humbly pray, asking for your grace and mercy to be upon us. In the name of our Savior Jesu Christ. Amen!