All the More Eager

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF PETER

ALL THE MORE EAGER

2 Peter 1:10-11

10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

NIV

The, therefore, is referring back to all the attributes, or qualities that we are to add to our faith. It also is a reminder that we should not be nearsighted and blind and never forget that we have been cleansed of our sin. So then in accordance with all that we should add to our faith, then be even more eager or as the Greek word translated as more eager, has this meaning of to use speed, make every effort, be prompt or earnest, to make our calling and election sure. Here we have to take a look at the Greek to get a clearer picture of just what we are to make sure we are prompt or all the more eager to do. This calling is more like an invitation, rather than a vocation. Sometimes we use that word calling as what type of service or ministry we have been called into. This would be such as we have been called to preach or we have been called to write, or be a deacon, or to clean the church, or be a missionary, or sing or whatever. But this word invitation makes it sound more like God calling us to himself for our salvation. God invites us into his kingdom. Then we need to respond to his invitation and come near to Him, and of course, he will come near to us. It is more like being invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Then we have this word election and that is precisely the meaning of the Greek. Choosing or the act of picking out. This would sound very much like it would be on the side of Calvinism. However, we do need to remember that Peter was chosen to preach to the Gentiles, who God chose to include to give salvation to before the foundation of the earth. There is no doubt that God chose Israel to be the nation which he used, or chose to come to earth through. It would be right to say they are God's chosen nation, as all things are a result of God. He is the God of all creation, all things have their life in Him. He chose to create mankind in his own image. In that sense, all mankind is chosen by God. As he came to Israel in the form of man, it would be right to say Israel was and is his chosen people. He also gave Peter the vision of the sheet with all sorts of animals, showing him that all peoples have been chosen by God to be invited into his kingdom, so Peter was to go to the Gentiles and offer God’s invitation. So, then as Gentiles, we have been a chosen people. So then having been chosen by God to be invited and having accepted his invitation and are in the process of adding all those qualities to our faith, we now see we are to be even more eager to make sure our invitation is good, and that as Gentiles we are assured of our invitation and so in being this confident, we will never fall. That is we will never leave the faith, we will never walk away from His invitation, or his chosen to include us, as Gentiles, in His kingdom. Because of we are even more eager, being prompt, with speed, adding all those qualities, and being sure of our invitation and never falling, which carries the meaning of finishing the race, running it with all speed, never giving up, always being on course, or staying the course, we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord. That is we will hear those words, “Enter my good and faithful servant”. What a day that will be, when my Jesus, I will see, when I look Him in the face, the one who saved me by his grace. What a day that will be. Therefore we live being all the more eager.