“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life …” (2 Peter 1:3)

Have you ever watched a dog chase its tail? He doesn’t realize that it is part of him. He continually chases after it in a futile attempt to get what’s already attached and is already his!

In the same way, many Christians chase after what is already theirs. How do they do this? They ask God to provide for them what He has already provided for them!

“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.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

Lack of knowledge!

They don’t have a lack of God’s provision, (He has provided everything!) but, they do have a lack of knowledge of what He has provided for them in His Word!

The problem

If you don’t know that you have something, you will believe and behave as though you don’t have it, even though you actually do have it!

It’s like the man who died of a combination of exposure and starvation while living under a bridge in a major city. He had inherited a fortune but wasn’t aware of it! Even though he was, in fact, very wealthy, he didn’t know it and lived and died as though he was poor.

It’s the same with God’s people!

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6). What you don’t know can and will hurt you!

What you have that Jesus paid for

• You can approach Him with freedom and confidence at any time! “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence,” (Eph. 3:12). You don’t have to go through a priest or do some kind of religious ceremony, but you can approach God directly through prayer (just talk to Him!).

• He will never leave you! “God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb. 23:5b). You don’t have to ask Him to “be with you or go with you,” but instead, you can simply thank Him for “being with you and for going with you!”

• Thousands of promises for you! “He has given us his very great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4). These promises cover every conceivable need! God has it all covered!

• He supplies all your needs! “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus!” (Phil. 4:19). This is the golden promise of all promises! It takes care of everything when you apply it and mix faith with it!

• God has created you for a purpose. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10)

• He gives you strength to do the purpose He has created you for! “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7 NIV)

This is a promise of paid for redemption, the forgiveness of sins, according to God’s riches of grace (unmerited favor to you from Him).

God’s grace is like, but more powerful than, a presidential pardon

In some ways “God’s Grace” is like a presidential pardon. U.S. presidents have wielded the power to issue pardons since it was granted to them in 1789 by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution. The number of pardons issued by a president has varied considerably. President George Washington issued 16 pardons between 1789 and 1797. Franklin D. Roosevelt granted the most, 3,687 pardons. The president chooses to pardon guilty individuals and that act immediately removes the person’s penalties.

God’s Grace (Greek Charis)

Grace may be defined as “the unmerited or undeserving favor of God to those who are under condemnation.”

Grace came through Jesus

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17 NIV).

Grace gives you the gift of salvation

 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV)

Grace gives you the gift of righteousness

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17 NIV)

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:9 NIV)

Three frogs were sitting on a branch by a pond. One decided to jump. So, how many frogs are left on the branch?

The answer is three!

The reason? Just because one decided to jump doesn’t mean that it actually did!

The Bible has thousands of promises, commands and good instructions for living life abundantly! Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 ESV)

What does abundant mean?

It means: plentiful, copious, ample, profuse, rich, lavish, abounding, generous, bountiful, large, huge, great, bumper, overflowing, prolific, teeming, in plenty, in abundance.

Just do it! 

That describes the kind of life Jesus intends for you to have. But, in order to have it you must not be complacent! “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.”

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  (James 1:22 ESV)

“If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord and he will repay you!” (Prov. 19:17 NLT)

A few years ago, when my office was located downtown, pan-handlers would sometimes come into my office and ask for a handout. One young fellow was a frequent visitor and always said, “could I please borrow a couple of dollars?” I knew he wasn’t actually “borrowing” because he didn’t have a job and no ability to repay.

One morning, during my personal Bible study, I read a passage in Proverbs 19:17, that said, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord and he will repay you!”

You are lending to God!

I thought about what that scripture verse appeared to be saying! “You are ‘lending’ to God when you help the poor, and God will pay you back for it!”

Wow, that is a huge promise for God to make! Could it actually be true?

Then, as though right on cue, my borrowing friend walked into my office and said, “I really need to borrow five dollars to get a used tire for my car. I will pay you back as soon as I’m able.”

Was this a test? I wondered to myself.

I said, “Okay, I will help you out today, but only if you agree to this one condition; that the five dollars I give you will not be a loan, but will instead be a gift!”

I held out the five dollars and he reached out and took hold of the edge of it, but I did not let go.

He tugged on the bill and said, “No, I promise to pay you back!”

But, I kept a tight grip on the five-dollar bill and said, “look, you have heard my terms, I’m not letting go until you agree!”

He said, “But why?!” And, he looked genuinely puzzled.

I told him about the verse of scripture I had just read shortly before he came in. I said I knew he didn’t have a job, he was apparently poor, and that he hadn’t ever paid me back for any of the other previous “loans” I had given him. I explained that I would rather take my chances with God returning my five dollars than on him ever doing so.

So, he finally said, “Okay” and I let go of the money.

I then asked him where he was going to get a five-dollar tire and he said he could get it from the local salvage yard nearby. I knew where it was and offered to give him a ride there. On the way, I told Him how God could make a big difference in his life as He has done in mine. But, he said he had never personally seen any evidence of God’s existence and wasn’t interested.

We arrived at the salvage yard, and on our way into the building, we passed an old friend of mine, Grandpa Gundy, who was on his way out the door. We briefly said hello and he proceeded on to his car. Then suddenly, he turned back around and yelled loudly, “Wait! Wait!” And both my “borrowing friend” and I turned around to see what he was saying to us.

Grandpa came rushing over to us, pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket, thrust it towards me, and said, “Jesus told me to give this to you!”

I took the money, thanked him for it, and turned to look at my friend who was standing aghast with his mouth open in surprise.

I said, “Wow, that didn’t take God long, did it?”

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8 ESV)

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8 NIV)

The Bible says that we are what we think about (Prov. 23:7). And, that we talk about what we think about (Luke 6:45). That is probably why we are told to think about good things!

We need to continuously put good things into our minds if we want good things to come out!

There are eight things in this passage you are told to think about. I have included some definitions and/or synonyms to add clarity.

• True – correct, accurate, faithful.

• Noble – righteous, virtuous, good, honorable, upright, decent, worthy, moral, ethical, reputable.

• Right – just, fair, proper, upright, lawful, legal.

• Pure – unadulterated, uncontaminated, unmixed, undiluted, flawless, perfect, genuine, real.

• Lovely – beautiful, pretty, attractive, good-looking, appealing, handsome, adorable, exquisite.

• Admirable – commendable, praiseworthy, laudable, estimable, meritorious, creditable, exemplary, honorable, worthy, deserving, respectable, worthwhile, good, sterling, fine, masterly, great.

• Excellent – extremely good, outstanding, superb, exceptional, marvelous, wonderful, magnificent, preeminent, perfect, matchless, unbeatable, peerless, supreme, prime, first-rate.

• Praiseworthy – worthy of praise, admirable, laudable, meritorious, estimable, exemplary.

Guard your heart!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23 NIV)

Many today are unfortunately filling their minds with just the opposite through what they watch on television, online, pornographic sites, or video games. The Bible warns about the “blindness of heart” in the following passage.

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:” (Eph. 4:18 KJV)

Plant, watch, recognize and weed!

You have to watch what you are thinking about continuously to keep garbage from creeping in! Your brain is like a garden that you have to tend constantly by making sure the right things are planted and growing in there and weeds are recognized and pulled out! It is a constant renewing process! (Phil. 1:6)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2 NIV)

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” (2 Cor. 9:10 NIV)

Seeds must be planted in order to grow

Some palm tree seeds were found in an ancient Egyptian tomb over 2,000 years old! They were planted, grew and produced wonderful dates. Life was still inside those seeds after all those years! But, they did nothing until they we’re put into some soil. Only then did they finally grow!

God has provided good seeds for you to plant and grow! But, until you actually plant them, nothing will happen for you! Sadly, many go without because they don’t plant their seeds!

Seeds for bread and seeds for righteousness

Two kinds of seed harvests are mentioned here:

1) Seeds for a harvest of bread

2) Seeds for a harvest of righteousness

Facts about seeds:

· You won’t have a crop without seeds. But, the good news is that God has provided them for you. (2 Cor. 9:10)

· Each seed is filled with life and potential. 30, 60, 100-fold return per seed! You will get more than you plant, a bigger return! (Matt. 13:8).

· You must plant the seed. They will only work for you if you plant them! “For whatever a man might sow, that also he will reap.” (Gal. 6:7).

· You must plant in good soil. (Matt. 13:8)

· You must wait for it. It takes time, but planted seeds will eventually bring a harvest.

What good seeds are you planting?

Plant good seeds of excellent work habits

God supplies all your needs (Phil. 4:19), but they are often disguised as raw materials and hard work! God will supply work for you to do (Eph. 2:10), but you must do the work necessary to reap a good harvest from it. Show up to your job on time and with a good attitude. Don’t be lazy! Work hard to accomplish the best results possible with excellence. Work for your employer as though you were actually working for the Lord, Himself.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Col. 3:23 NIV)

Plant good seeds of righteousness

Sow seeds of love and kindness. Don’t treat others the way they necessarily treat you but instead treat them as God has treated you. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:32 NASB)

“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’” (Hosea 10:12 NLT)

“I planted…… God gave the growth.” (1 Cor. 3:7)

“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalms 25:14 NKJV)

“The secret of the Lord”

Wow, the “secret of the LORD!” A secret is defined as something confidential, undisclosed, unknown, private, hidden, concealed, or invisible!

How would you like to know God’s secret?

According to this verse you can! And it tells you how! “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear the LORD.”

So, what does it mean to “fear” the LORD?

It’s not what you think, because the kind of “fear” the Bible is talking about in this passage is different than the kind of fear we normally think about such as fright, alarm, panic, anxiety, terror, or trepidation; this kind of fear is “cast out by love” (1 John 4:18). But there is another kind of fear that is good, the “fear of the Lord,” which has a different definition. This kind of fear brings positive results!

What does the Bible mean by the fear of the LORD?

The main Hebrew and Greek words for fear in the Bible can have several shades of meaning, but in the context of the fear of the Lord, they convey a positive reverence.

The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence” and the Hebrew noun yirah “usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God’s good intentions (Ex. 20:20). … This fear is produced by God’s Word (Ps. 119:38; Prov. 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Prov. 1:7; 9:10)” (Warren Baker and Eugene Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, 2003, pp. 470-471).

The Greek noun phobos can mean “reverential fear” of God, “not a mere ‘fear’ of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, “Fear, Fearful, Fearfulness).” This is the type of positive, productive fear Luke describes in the early New Testament Church:

“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” (Acts 9:31 NKJV, emphasis added).

One resource includes this helpful summary: “The fear of God is an attitude of respect, a response of reverence and wonder. It is the only appropriate response to our Creator and Redeemer” (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible, 1997, note on Psalm 128:1).

The promise at the top says that if you fear the Lord (and you now know what that means) “He will show you His covenant!” And, that is wonderful news! A “covenant” is a contract, agreement, undertaking, commitment, guarantee, warrant, pledge, promise, bond, indenture; pact, deal, settlement, arrangement, understanding.

Look at these “fear of God promises” you get

Fountain of life

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” (Prov. 14:27 ESV)

Blessing

“Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” (Psalm 112:1 NASB)

Wisdom

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 9:10a NASB)

Knowledge

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7a NASB)

Confidence

“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. (Prov. 14:26 KJV)

Mercy

“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” (Luke 2:50 KJV)

Needs met

“O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” (Psalms 34:9 KJV)

Prolonged life

“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (Prov. 10:27 NASB)

Rescues you

“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.” (Psalms 34:7 NASB)

Fulfills your desires

“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.” (Psalms 145:19 NASB)

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matt. 6:14 NIV)

There are many examples of forgiveness in both the old and new testaments, here are a few…

Old Testament: Esau forgave his brother Jacob, who had taken his birthright. Joseph forgave his ten brothers who had sold him into slavery. (Gen. 50:19)

New Testament: Steven, the first martyr, forgave those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60). The father of the prodigal son forgave him. (Luke 15:11-32)

Our Example

The most extraordinary example of forgiveness is from Jesus, Himself, who from the cross cried out, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 KJV 2000)

Not easy but correct

It can be very difficult sometimes to forgive those who have wronged you, but it is always the right thing to do. Our example is God himself. We are to be merciful to others as He is to us!

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36 ESV)

“for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” (Phil. 1:5 NLT)

Notice that this verse says, “from the time you first heard it.” They were immediately able to share about Christ from the beginning of their knowledge of Him!

Tell what happened to you!

You don’t have to be a great theologian to share Christ! All you need to do is tell your story. And, every Christian has their own story to tell. Someone put it this way, “Sharing your faith is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread!” It is really as simple as that, or should be!

The blind man could see!

The Bible tells about a blind man who was healed by Jesus and was questioned about it by some negative religious leaders. He didn’t have any religious answers for them and only told what had happened to him. It was a powerful statement that stopped their argument.

He said, “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25 NLT)

It’s difficult for anyone to argue against another’s real and personal experience. That’s why personal testimonials are so powerful. And, that’s why you should freely share yours. It has the potential to change lives!

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)