Devotionary

Peter reminds his audience that what he and the disciples were sharing was nothing more than the teachings of Jesus. They said what they heard Him say. They taught what He had taught them. They spoke of the Kingdom, just as He had. And the Father still expected the words of His Son to be heard and heeded.

Peter made it his life-long objective to remind his fellow believers of their God-given responsibility to grow in spiritual maturity by making every effort to add to their faith these essential qualities of Christ Himself.

We become increasingly more like Christ the longer we live on this planet, in spite of an enemy who hates us and is out to destroy us. For Peter, the bottom line was that our belief in Christ should be evident in the way our behavior mirrored that of Christ.

Peter is going to provide us with a list of seven characteristics that we are to add to our faith. Think of them as spiritual supplements or divine vitamins designed to improve our spiritual health and increase the stamina of our faith as we live in this world.

Peter is going to encourage any and all believers to live in keeping with their calling as sons and daughters of God. They have been imputed the righteousness of Christ, placed into the body of Christ, indwelt with the Spirit of God, and assured by the unwavering promises of God. They had all they needed, and Peter expected them to live like it.

We are citizens of His Kingdom and heirs of all that belongs to Him as God. We know how the story ends, so there is no reason for us to worry or fret over the outcome. We know our eternity is secure, so we have no cause to panic in the face of opposition in this life.

No one is truly qualified to lead. There is no one who deserves to be a leader over God’s people. His right to lead comes from God. His power to lead comes from the Spirit of God. His model for leadership comes from the Son of God. And with all that in mind, Peter calls on these men to shepherd like it.

When we find ourselves facing trials and tests in this life, rather than whine and complain, Peter encourages us to see them as opportunities to have our lives purified and our dependence upon God intensified. We are being perfected by Him and, therefore, we should rejoice like it.

We are to live with our eyes on the needs of others, recognizing that the days are short and the mandate we have been given by Christ to spread the gospel and share His love with a lost and dying world is our first and only priority. We are children of God, and we should serve like it.

Rather than seeing suffering as an unnecessary burden or an unexpected setback to our new life in Christ, we are to see it as part of the process of sanctification that God has planned for us.

The resurrection of Christ is a resounding message of victory over sin and death. It proves that Jesus was who He claimed to be: The Son of God and the Savior of the world. And His resurrection is the basis of the hope of our future glorification. Because He lives, so shall we.

Peter wants us to defend our actions; not with rhetoric, clever arguments, or well-reasoned polemics, but with an explanation of the hope of the gospel. Our willingness to suffer for doing good only makes sense when seen through the lens of the gospel.

If we have been chosen by God, adopted into His family, made heirs of His Kingdom, appointed as priests, and filled with His Spirit, do we live like it? If the answer is yes, then do we bless like it?

Christian men were to treat their wives with dignity and to make them a high priority in their lives. They were not to be seen as property or second-class citizens. If a man truly had a new nature, by virtue of his faith in Christ, Peter expected them to honor like it.

Peter is calling these women, who had become believers, to live out their newfound faith in such a way that they would be visible, tangible witnesses to their unbelieving spouses. For Peter, it was about a change in behavior based on a change in their standing before God.