Promises Promises- MONDAY
Promises Promises
by
Rocky Fleming
Monday - So That
"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." (2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV)
Throughout Bible history, we read that God has asked His people both in the Old and New Testament to take Him at His word and to trust Him even when the odds are stacked against us. I believe it is important to God to show that He is faithful to His promises. Why is this? I think He tells us why. It is for the "Sake of His Name." His reputation is important to God, and for those who trust Him, we are also important to Him. Let me explain. When God issues a promise, it is extremely important that He keeps His promise. Why is this? I'll say it again. It is for the "Sake of His Name." Get it? It is important that we understand that God wants us to trust Him, and being faithful to keep His promises helps us follow His leadership and grasp that which He offers. Plain and simple, keeping His promises shows us that God is trustworthy, and He wants people to know this. God has no higher authority over Himself, therefore He is accountable to Himself, so this is why He says the "sake of His name" is important to Him. He is accountable to His own name. This is an important fact when we see any verse that speaks of a promise God has made. However, it is up to us to grasp those things He offers by first releasing our grip on things that get in the way of His promises. In other words, it would be things we try to do for our self instead of what God would do for us. This is where "personal abandonment" of our life to Him becomes relevant to our life. It is to receive God's best for us. Therefore, He has given us promises, which are instructions if you will, about how to receive and live this new life that He wants to give us, and there is a reason why. Let's keep going with the "Why" question. What does the scripture above tell us is the reason why God gives us His promises to live by? Well this is where the "so that" explanation comes in. It is mentioned in the scripture above. The answer is "so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature."
The question needs to be asked about this answer in scripture. Does beingpartakers of the divine nature mean that we can accept Christ and His Holy Spirit then comes into us? Yes, but that is not all. Does it mean that we can join into God's family and then partake of Him as His children? Yes, but that is not all. Does it mean we can join Him in His mission to make disciples and this is what we then partake of? Yes, but that is not all. I believe it is something more beneficial than even these things, although these things are critical to our relationship with God. I believe being a partaker of God's divine nature is actually to undergo a transformation as He shapes us into men and women who are very Christ-like. It becomes in us an exchanged nature from our old nature of the flesh to a new nature like Christ.
We throw the term "Christlikeness and Christ-like" around a lot. Unfortunately, we attach it to some people who are attractive to us because of some present day attributes of influence that Jesus did not represent. There is more to being like Christ than many of the ways we see in people who represent this term. To be Christ-like requires having more of His nature dwelling in us and directing our thoughts and possibly showing through our life more than our old nature. This is where we connect the promises of God to His intention to create a nature change within us most of all, which causes us to share in His nature. It is to be taken from our old nature, (the fallen nature) into a new nature (the risen nature) and be like Christ to our world.
What I have seen with the connection of God's promises and the direction that I get from the promises, with how He uses this process to build my faith in Him and how the combination of these things has led to a nature change, is His discipleship process in action. I know this to be true in my own life, and I know it can be true for you as well. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to create a transformed life, and this is the process He most often uses.
This week I want us to explore more deeply an understanding of this process, and by doing so I hope to help all of you, including myself, to move closer to the nature of Christ. It will not be my writings about the promises, or any understanding that you may gain this week that will make you Christ-like. That would be only head knowledge. The best I can hope for is that it will help you understand how His promises connect to a transformation in your life and to serve as encouragement to you to take God at His word and to let His promises guide you. If I can do this, I have shared that which God has instructed me to share, and for many of you it will be the beginning of a new perspective on the faithfulness of God's word, and as well, a new direction for your life. We will start this exploration tomorrow.