Knowing

2 Peter 1:1-4

Recently, Gwen and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary, and it got me thinking about all that we’ve been through together over the past three decades. A lot has happened in that time—some happy and some not so much. We got to see our son get married; we became grandparents in 2009 and again in 2020. We’ve celebrated many birthdays and mourned the loss of many of our family members and friends, and we’ve experienced job loss and job changes, times when we had abundance, and times when we had next to nothing. As I look back, it amazes me how far we’ve come. Gwen and I were casual friends for about a year before we started dating. During that time, we knew each other on a fairly superficial level; however, after more than 30 years together, it’s safe to say that we now know each other more deeply than anyone else knows us. The other thing I’ve come to see is that, in that time, we’ve been transformed for the better by the depth of that knowledge.

Second Peter is addressed to a group of churches afflicted by a common problem: false teaching had begun to infiltrate these churches. Interestingly, he begins this letter by commending them (and us) to keep growing in their faith. It goes something like this: apart from Christ, we are corrupt and sinful, but when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven and Christ’s righteousness is credited to us. Another benefit of giving our lives to Christ is that God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. With this new level of intimacy, we begin to know Jesus rather than just knowing about him. As our knowledge of Christ deepens, we begin to understand God’s call on our lives to reflect his glory and goodness to the rest of the world. Furthermore, God’s Spirit empowers us to live out that calling and fully enjoy God’s promises! As those promises forge a greater connection to God, they enable us to resist the world’s temptations.

My hope and prayer is that we may all strive to know Christ more deeply, so that we may stand strong against the attacks of our Enemy and reflect the love and mercy of Christ to a world desperately in need of healing.

Following in Christ’s footsteps,

Mike