adding

Wednesday, June 13, 2018 (6:41 a.m.)

Blessed Holy God,

Would You please teach us more about loving as You would have us love?

(7:19 a.m.)

I love it when I ask and You answer. In such big ways!

I also love when I come before You thinking we’ll go off in one direction and before I know it You and I are deep in Your Word learning more of all You would have me know.

Blessed Holy Father God, thank You for being so good to us. Thank You for being near. And available. Loving. And kind.

Thank You Father for the teachers and preachers You have provided through the years. Right now I am reading of Your divine power (2 Peter 1:3) because someone [Pastor Jack Peters] who loves You and others has a “Sermon Seeds” website.

Week #9 of his Christian Character Clinic teaches on “Loving As God Loves”. 2 Peter 1:5-7 leads his list of Scripture references. Followed by 1 John 4: 7-8; 10-11. And the most recognizable of all, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

Thank You Father. Thank You that just as I began reading verse five in 2 Peter 1, I went up to the top and started reading from the beginning. “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…”

In this short letter Peter speaks of precious faith (v. 1), grace, peace, knowledge (2), Your divine power, life, godliness, glory and goodness (3), Your very great and precious promises (4). Thank You Father.

Thank You that as I read on I struggle to better understand, “For this very reason…” What very reason?

Illustrated Bible Handbook describes, “Peter’s thought is that we are no longer mere mortals. Through new birth, God has planted His own life in us, and thus we share His nature.” This is a huge reason on which we are able to act.

Because of Jesus living in us we are given the power to “do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

So how do I love as You would have me love? By getting to know Jesus better. Yes! Just look at verse three in The Living Bible. “For as you know Him better, He will give you, through His great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: He even shares His own glory and His own goodness with us!”

Yes. Your glory. Your goodness. Your power. Do all You must that I would come to know and love You as You command. With all my heart. All my soul. All my mind. And all my strength (Mark 12:30).

Make it so Dear Lord. Make it so. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(498 words ~ 8:55 a.m.)