Life and Godliness

Consider what God has given you, "His divine power has given to us all that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him."  This is an awesome, almost beyond grasp, reality.  And to ensure that we are able to bring this home, the verse in 2 Peter 1 continues "by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you might become partakers of divine nature...."  Obviously, the more we know Him the more we become like Him, and the more we understand the promises of God, the more we are able to believe and receive them.    

Consider also the truth that runs contrary to our natural mind, namely, everything that we ever need and that changes us into the likeness of God has already been given to us, we already have it.  God's kingdom has come, it is finished, and God waits to be gracious to us.  Instead of trying to get something, we are given God's "exceedingly great and precious promises" so that we will understand how great He is and because of His love, what He has given us.  He is waiting for us to know it is ours and to accept His gift of everything we could ever need for life and for being godly.  

The Greek word for saved, or salvation, is sozo, which is often translated "be made whole."  We have been delivered or saved from all the consequences of sin, old things have passed away, the new creation has come.  Our minds simply have to be renewed to know this truth which sets us free.  As a man thinks, so is he. Notice how Paul told the Ephesians in Acts 20, "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." 

What inheritance?  Jesus said all that the Father has is mine, and Jesus bestows that power and authority to us to exercise in His name.  Furthermore, scriptures like Ephesians 3 speak of coming to know His love and being filled with the fullness of God.  Christ is our wisdom, our strength, our life is hidden in Him.  

Therefore, it follows that our hearts need to be opened and our minds renewed to know Him.  As He reveals Himself, we have the mind of Christ and can think like God thinks.  The more we let His thoughts "dwell in us richly" (Colossians 3:16), the more we see His goodness and are able to just receive all He has given by faith.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

What would it take for you to have more of this resurrected life that Jesus has freely given you?  Do you desire "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened..."  Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find.   Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a fresh desire.  Be like David who refused to sleep and be at ease until there was a place for God.