A Life of Excellence—You’re Calling and Election made Certain and Clear

A Life of Excellence—You’re Calling and Election made Certain and Clear
Have you ever wondered what God created you to do? The Bible--God’s Word has a plan laid out with a promise if you do these things you will never fall. Let us look close at 2 Peter 1:10
“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” 2 Peter 1:10
I have asked myself that question many times. I feel God has led me to the answer and I am writing this with inspiration. I am hoping that together as a family we can embark on an adventure to find our calling together. After going through every translation, I am going to break each stage down and include definitions of the words. Sometimes we think we know a definition only to find out there is meanings we did not know. God gives each believer through his divine power a very special and great promise that we have everything we need in life and for godliness through our knowledge of him by His own glory and goodness—we can participate in the divine nature of God. (divine nature-of or belonging to God, Proceeding from God; excellent in the highest degree; supremely admirable; apparently above what is human). The steps outlined in 2 Peter 1 seem easy enough, but if they were easy then why are so many Christians living an unfruitful life? Surely, our witness should be better than that with the awesome God we serve. I am guilty as well. If you will take this journey with me, this commitment for excellence—I believe we will all find our calling made certain and clear. Not because of anything, that I write but because the Bible says, God promises us this to be true. I am going to list the steps below as they are listed in the bible with definitions to help us. I would like anyone who is willing to take this adventure with me to download the commitment sheet, type his or her name on it and email it back to me as an accountability buddy system Accountability will help with success and I will pray for you as well. Guests can reply with their commitment instead of emailing me.

Gods plan for excellence--your calling

Faith
Definition - Belief, Credibility or truth, Fidelity to one's promises, or allegiance to duty
The apostles said to the LORD, "Increase our faith!" Luke17:5 NIV

If the Apostles thought to ask Jesus to increase their faith, shouldn’t we? In this story Jesus told them a story and ended in verse 10 with an unworthy servants attitude. Ask God to increase our faith, serve with a servants attitude, and the promise that by grace God values our service. Our faith is also referred to as a shield in hard times, see the verse below.

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” Ephesians 6:16

Goodness/Virtue/Morale Excellence
Definition - goodness of character, worth, of charity, practice of the duties of life right and wrong
(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) Ephesians 5:9 NIV

We need to build up our character, our worth. Like we teach our children right from wrong, we need to evaluate ourselves and continually build on our character. Ask God to show you where you need to become more excellent for Him.

Knowledge
Definition - clear perception of fact, truth, enlightenment, To acknowledge, practical skill
For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge
1 Corinthians 1:5 NIV

Have you heard the expression walk the walk and talk the talk? Basically that’s what we must do, we need to put to use what we learn. Our instruction manual the Bible needs to be put to use on a daily basis. We need to be a doer of God’s word. It’s great to listen to tapes, go to church but you really need to read Gods word for yourself. Make a commitment to study the Word of God, gain knowledge for yourself. One good way is to learn one thing, then practice it until it becomes a skill. I’m trying to steer away from the word habit here. It needs to be more than a habit, it needs to become a way of life for you--Gods perfect way and plan.

Self-control
Definition - Control of one's self; restraint exercised over one's self; self-command
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control Proverbs 2:28

In a city, if the walls were broken they were left vulnerable, open to attack. The Bible tells us we are like that city if we do not exercise self-control. Are there any areas of your life that are out of control? Ask God to reveal those areas, and make a plan to begin to correct that. It could be spending where you are out of control. Create a budget and then stick to it. Any area of your life that is out of control is leaving you open for attack.

Perseverance/endurance
Definition- Persistence under harsh conditions, continuance, a continuing under pain or distress without resistance, or without being overcome, patience
Perseverance, character; and character, hope Romans 5:4 NIV

Perseverance builds character and character builds hope. Fight the good fight and don’t give up. There will be days it will seem hard to keep going and you may feel like giving up,,DON’T! I know it’s easy to say, but there is hope, God is there waiting for you. Give him all your hurts, troubles and stress. It was really hard for me to learn how to do this and I still fail at times, but you can do it. Patience is part of the definition here.

Godliness
Definition - Careful observance of, or conformity to, the laws of God; the state or quality of being godly, love of his character; loving obedience to the will of God, and earnest devotion to his service.
But godliness with contentment is great gain 1 Timothy 6:6 NIV

I believe if you do all the things above this part of it will come naturally. We have to know Gods laws and character and that adventure begins by studying the Bible. Learning to be content where we are is harder, but if we learn to serve God where we are and become lovingly devoted to him contentment comes much easier.

Brotherly Kindness/Love
Definition - such as is natural for brothers; becoming to brothers; kind; affectionate; as, brotherly love, kindly
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves Romans 12:10 NIV

This one really doesn’t need explanation. Love each other and be kind to one another.

Love
Definition - commands admiration; preeminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters.
to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, Psalms 92:2

We should make this a priority to proclaim Gods love every morning on this journey and praise his faithfulness every night. Every morning before we get out of bed, tell God that we dedicate our lives a living sacrifice to him to do His will today, and ask him to guide us in his ways. Every night thank him for his faithfulness to us with our other normal prayers ask him to reveal his perfect plan for our lives. Jesus commanded us to love see verses below:

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these Mark 12:30-31 NIV

Summary:
We are to continually add to these. For our adventure in Christ to find our excellent plan we will build on the principals listed in 2 Peter 1 daily. Faith, Goodness, Knowledge, Self-Control, Perseverance, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, Love.
An example day we wake up and dedicate our lives a living sacrifice to God to do His will today, and ask him to guide us in his ways. Ask God to increase our faith and equip us with the shield of faith. Help us keep a servants attitude. Ask where we can build our character higher and in a more excellent way. Sometime during your day make time to study Gods Word, maybe memorize our monthly memory verse or do the monthly Bible Study. Look for things that might be out of control in your life and practice self-control it might be a temper problem or spending. Perseverance, keep going even if you have a bad day. Godliness, set out to do good. Jesus went about doing good, model Jesus’ character in your daily activities. Brotherly Kindness and love will come by emanating Godliness. End your day with a prayer thanking God for his faithfulness and promise that we will not fall or stumble. Ask for revelation of his plan for our lives and the Truth that is in us.

Read 2 Peter 1:3-11 NIV for yourself
Making One's Calling and Election Sure

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. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 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. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 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.

Guests cannot download attachments so you can copy this and paste it in a reply to make the commitment.

Commitment Sheet and Prayer
Accountability
I, _______________________________ commit to A Life of Excellence—My Calling and Election made Certain and Clear found in 2 Peter 1.

Commitment Prayer

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant me to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith--that I, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV

Changed words like you to I to make the prayer our own