Leading to love
Day 670, Friday, June 12
2 Peter Chapter 1
What is love, and how do we find it?
It seems we don’t try to define love as often as we try to define hate. And in public discourse, hate seems to be defined as anything other than uncritical acceptance of any view, belief or action.
2 Peter 1:5-7 presents another persepctive of what love is. “For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”
Urging things like knowledge, self-control and godliness don’t contradict love. Instead, they are foundations on which love is built. Love isn’t a denial of Christian living, it is the result of it.
Peter also tells us where we can find the knowledge and direction that leads to love. He makes it clear in verses 3 and 20-21. “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.”
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
-Rev. Mark Fleming
Friday meditation
Psalms 140:1-13
Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.
Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet. The arrogant have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path.
I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy. Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed.
Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise. May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.
I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.
Prayer focus
Lead us, Lord, to goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseveance, godliness, mutual affection and then on to love.