CCOG Newsletter

Sometimes it can be hard to discern the will of God. "Should I take this job or that job?" "Should I move or stay put?" "What about this relationship?" "Did I hear God correctly?" Even when we make a decision, it can be easy to doubt that we have heard from Him.

I was recently reading a book that said following God will always be an act of faith. When was the last time that you did anything requiring real faith? If you are staring down a decision that looks too big for you to handle, it could be that God is asking you to take a leap of faith and trust Him. I know from personal experience that stepping out like that can be super scary. Following God's plan has no guarantee of constant wins. There may be some days that you fall flat on your face! But that doesn't mean you have made the wrong choice or have done something against the will of God. Each step of faith is a learning experience.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” — 2 Peter 1:3 NIV

You've probably felt like you're missing something. Maybe it's discipline. Maybe it's faith. Or whatever that person two pews over seems to have figured out. Today's verse throws the list out before you finish making it.

In today's verse, Peter doesn't say go find what's missing. Instead, he's saying that everything we need for a godly life has already been given to us.

Everything, already given, even before you asked. The tricky bit is in the next phrase: through our knowledge of him. Not by trying harder or reading more or finally getting your act together. But just by knowing Jesus.

When Peter uses the word "knowledge" here, he isn't talking about information filed away or things one might learn at seminary school. It's the kind of knowing that comes from actually being with someone, the way you know a spouse or an old friend, not a stranger you've read about.

The godly life you're straining toward cannot be assembled piece by piece out of your own willpower. It's already there, sitting inside a relationship that you may not be fully living into.

Peter isn't handing you a to-do list today. He's handing you an inventory of what you already own. You just need to lean in and take hold. The days ahead keep circling that same inventory.

REFLECT: What are you still trying to earn today that God says He’s already given you?