Part 2 - Participating in God’s Divine Nature
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4
This is Quiet Time 2 of a 7 week series helping us reach a new “personal best” in our relationship with God. Last week we looked at doing it daily, writing down something, and memorizing one verse per week.
We learn from the Bible that being a Christian means being Jesus’ disciple: following Him, imitating Him, holding to His teachings. Look carefully at what Peter wrote. Let’s study it together. Here, Peter gives us an inspiring definition of being Jesus’ disciple: Participating in God’s Divine Nature.
God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. Why?
Because he wants each of us to be amazingly, powerfully, unforgettably successful in our walk with Him. He wants every Christian to be remembered as a great example long after he/she is dead.
How do we get the everything? By knowing Jesus! We get to participate in the nature of God. Not just see, not just know about, but experience, share in, live out the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Since knowing Jesus is the only way to participate in the divine nature, the people who mock Jesus and reject you are denying themselves the opportunity to experience the nature of God.
This is another great passage that shows the importance of not just looking at, not just reading, but studying the Bible. Peter says that we participate based on “our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”, and God’s “very great and precious promises”. Studying the Bible helps with both.
Have you ever gone to a stadium for a football game? At a stadium, there are 3 groups of people:
1. The people outside (who may hear something, but don’t know what’s happening inside).
2. The people in the stands (who can see what’s going on, know the rules and how to score and can even yell encouragement, but don’t affect the game very much).
3. The people down on the field, who are working together as teams, each team trying to be successful.
Christianity is like that stadium.
The people in the stands and the people outside the stadium are not “participating in the divine nature”. It’s not enough to show up and cheer others on. Jesus’ “participating in the divine nature” is when you’re down on the field with Him, He hands you the ball and you obey when He says “Follow me. I’ll block for you.”
Many people attend college. They don’t invest the time and money just to hang the certificate on a wall and stare at it. They expect to do something with the degree.
In the same way, God expects you to do good and glorious things with the “everything” He has given you. Think back on what you did with that “everything” in the last 3 weeks. Did you spend most of your time on the field with Jesus, up in the stands, or outside the stadium?
Actions for week 2:
A. Think about last week. Are you excited? Do you have a written plan? Are you praying and writing down something every day? In a few weeks, when you look back at what you wrote, it will build your faith to see how many prayers were answered and how much you learned.
B. Memorize and study out 2 Timothy 3:16-17. What kind of commitment does it take to become thoroughly equipped?
C. Find someone else who is trying to hit a new personal best. Talk about your experience. Compare notes. Encourage each other.
D. Spend at least one day thinking and writing down why participating in the divine nature is more fulfilling than trying to follow a list of “do’s and don’ts”.
Next Week: Prayers that get heard