Inspiring Phrases from 2 Peter: confirm your calling
Inspiring Phrase: confirm your calling
Context:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-11
My response:
I really don’t know how any of us have the nerve to call ourselves Christians. OK, I probably shouldn’t speak for you or anyone else, but as for me, I certainly don’t always live up to the label. And as for calling this a Christian country, don’t even get me started…I’m not a fan of the word ‘Christian’ being used as an adjective. I don’t find that a helpful description. In fact, I’m not really a fan of the word ‘Christian’ at all. Certainly not in the way it is used today. I struggle to call myself a Christian or at least feel the need to explain what Christian means to me, so I don’t get bundled up with all those people around the world who call themselves Christians and yet act in a way that is so far removed from my understanding of the word.
Of course, Jesus never called any of His followers Christians. He wasn’t looking to form a new group, a new religion even. The early believers were described as followers of The Way, the way being Jesus. He said ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.’ His calling to those early disciples was clear and simple.
‘Follow me.’
That’s it.
‘Follow me.’
It’s the same for us today. Becoming a Christian and being a Christian may have gathered up a huge amounts of beliefs and behaviours that have muddied the waters.
This is our calling: ‘Follow me.’
And so once we have heard the call, how do we then live in such a way as to confirm that calling? ‘Becoming a Christian’ is not enough. It’s not a one off transaction. It’s about living each day making choices that confirm that calling.
The practical stuff and outworkings of that calling are listed above the phrase in this letter: confirming our calling is all about our relationships with ourselves, God and others. None of us are perfect, I get that. We’re each one of us a work in progress. But that’s what’s key: in progress. There is movement in the right direction. Life’s a journey and the direction we are taking matters. There needs to be a trajectory towards godly living (in a very practical love in action sense). It is our responsibility to be confirming our calling (and not taking it for granted) in all that we do and say.
What did the disciples do in response to the call to follow Jesus? they literally followed him. They spent time with him. They listened to him. They observed how he did things and how he treated people and tried to do the same. They learnt from him.
It’s up to us to do the same,
