Living in light of eternity

When we think of our growth in Christ it’s easy to go to one of two extremes. We will tend to focus too much on our own responsibility OR to focus too much on God’s role in our growth. Paradoxically, both perspectives are important and both must be embraced, even though at times they seem contradictory.   The apostle Peter handles this often misunderstood aspect of the   the Christian’s walk in his second epistle. 2 Peter 1:2–3 (NAS): Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;   3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness , through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. In chapter one, we see a great emphasis on what Peter calls, “the true knowledge” of Christ.   In the amplified version, which gives a closer rendering to the Greek, it says, 2 Peter 1:2 (AMP): [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and ...

The realization that God loves you is certainly one of the greatest things you can experience.   But with that realization comes a responsibility- to love others with that same kind of love.           And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. ” Lk 10:25–27. When confronted with this reality, the lawyer quickly asked an obvious question….     And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Lk 10:28–29. To answer his question the Lord told the parable of "The Good Samaritan".   In ...