Corrupt to Divine

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF PETER

CORRUPT TO DIVINE

2 Peter 1:3-4

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

NIV

It is interesting that we strive so much to get so little when we have His divine power that has already given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him. Of course, our striving is not for everything we need for life and godliness. What we spend most of our energy, our striving on is for material things this world has to offer. That age-old bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins” seems to be the major philosophy of the world. But toys cannot give us everything we need for life and godliness. All the materialism in the world will not give us life. Of course, Peter is referring to eternal life. While we are still here, we still want all the toys, we want to have it all. But we have to be careful not to allow our things to define who we are. The world does that, always listing both their accomplishments and their material success. Peter is telling us through the influence of the Spirit that we can escape, in fact, we have everything we need to escape from the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. God has given us His very great and precious promises so we can participate in the divine nature. It would appear this is an either/or situation, not a one and the other. We either participate in His divine nature or we allow ourselves to be corrupted by the evil desires of the world. It goes back to wanting all the toys, although, for the most part, we do not think of all the things we have as toys. They are more like the necessary things we enjoy having. It does not appear God desires for us to be homeless, poor, and without anything. In Fact, He has blessed us with so many material things and we should always be aware of thanking Him and not ourselves. But we also have to remember where we live. Our culture, its materialistic nature is far different than in some of the more depressed parts of the world. There are believers who have never driven a car, or may only have one light bulb in their living space. Materialism comes in many shapes and forms depending on the culture we live in. However, the point Peter is making here, is the desires of this world will corrupt us and we need to always be aware that we are partakers of the divine nature. We are living with the divine nature within us, which is Christ in us. Jesus told us that we are to remain in him and he remains in us. He is the vine or root and we are the branches or shoots, and if we remain in Him, participating in the divine nature, that we would bear much fruit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. We have this choice, to live corrupt or in the divine nature. Bearing fruit is the essence of our purpose here. We are to bear love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, joy, and self-control. But as we have said before and we must remember that we do not bear that fruit for our own benefit. An Apple does not benefit the tree it grows on, but only benefits those who come along and pick it off and enjoy its taste. So it is with us living in the divine nature, we bear this fruit so others may come along and pick it from us, enjoying the taste of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness that the Spirit bears within us. Living in the divine nature of God is all we need to live a full and rich life now and for all eternity. We have escaped from corruption into the divine.