I’ve been so encouraged by church members who say how much they like being able to read the sermon text before Sunday morning. Maybe this will continue to spread throughout the rest of our church and even other churches. Wouldn’t that be great!
The text is the same for each Sunday in January, 2 Peter 1:3-11. The focus is being “shaped by God’s word.” This Sunday I will focus on verse four and the idea that God has given us everything we need for life in the “precious and very great promises” He has made to us.
So here’s a thought. Spend some time pondering what those precious promises are. The Bible is full of them. Here’s a list of fifty promises from God which will strengthen your soul. So spend some time pondering the promises.
Then ponder this question. What are the forces currently shaping your life? You’re being shaped constantly by things like what others want, their opinion of you, the decisions and actions of those you look up to, what you see on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. You’re being shaped more and more into a person who chases after a way to feel good about yourself. You’re being told that everything you need for life, to be ok, to be what you want is found in a thing, a thought, a person, a place. But the shape that turns out to be in the end is distorted without God’s joy.
Or you can be shaped by God’s word, by the promises He has given us. The point Peter makes in his epistles is that believers are to crave the spiritual milk of the word so that they are constantly fed and shaped by God into a person He indwells. In the end this way you will not be a distorted image but the true image of God filled with His joy. This is what each person actually craves.
So where do you go with this next? Consider how much effort you are putting into being shaped by God’s promises. It may be that you need to make some improvements there. So what are two things you can downsize in your daily routine in order to devote more time to taking in God’s word?
Take action and do it!
