"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 marvelous glory and excellence."
"The Lord will take care of us." Most Christians probably accept this statement, but we typically think about it in terms of what resources we get from God. For example, we read Matthew 6:25-33 and feel comforted in the thought that God will provide us with food, clothes, and shelter. What we forget, however, is that Matthew 6:33 concludes the passage by reminding us to, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." God is clearly telling us that he will provide for us, but we have a responsibility to live a virtuous life.
Peter reminds us in his second letter that God wants his followers to live in a righteous way. In 2 Peter 1:4, the verse immediately following the quoted passage above, Peter implores us to "escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires." As we know from experience, this is not always easy.
Thankfully, Peter informs us that Christ makes it possible for us to lead a loving and virtuous life. At one time we were slaves to our own selfishness, but when we accepted Jesus as our new master we were freed to live as his servants (1 Peter 2:15-16). Jesus is not asking us to do something that he won't help us with. If we set our hearts on spiritual growth and ask him for help, he will give us the energy and direction we need to move forward.
(New Living Translation; photo credit: Wix media)