Effective Living: The Invitation

Intro:
God is inviting you to be effective in life. The invitation from your loving and empowering God is in your hands. He has given you the opportunity to be effective and productive as a believer.

How important is it to be effective at what you do? Your boss expects it. Your kids needs it. Your marriage may depend in it. I am of the opinion that no one wants to fail at anything. You do not go the the altar with the goal of divorce. You do not bring children into the world to lose them to the same. You do not take a job to get fired. We desire to be effective. We NEED to be effective.

What about walking with God? Don't you want to be effective at that as well? Sure you do! We desire to know God well. We desire to obey Him. We desire to share Christ with others. We WANT to be effective.

For this next series we will consider Peter's invitation to effectiveness.

Read: 2 Peter 1:3-9
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.

Think:
You have everything necessary for life and godliness in you right now! (v.3) If you know Jesus personally then everything you need is already supplied for you. It is in seed form and needs to be developed.

Your salvation secures many great and precious promises from God (v.4). Among these promises is the power of God working in your life. BUT, how do we walk in that power? How do we come to know God in such a way that we are effective in life?

The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter, lays out 7 areas of growth that need to be developed in the life of the believer (v.5-7). Note that we are called to add 7 things to our "faith" (v.5). There is the assumption that you are already a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not have a trust relationship with Him then the list becomes another religious exercise that will end in frustration.

If, however, you are a believer and you are growing in the 7 areas then you will be effective in your walk with the Lord.

If you are effective with the Lord you stand the best chance of being effective in relationships with others as well. Want to be an effective spouse? parent? co-worker? pastor? friend? Then be an effective and productive Christ follower. If you are growing in these key areas then you WILL be productive and effective in life.

In the next series we will unpack each of the things that Peter says we must have and be increasing in. For now we are to add to our faith:

1. Goodness
2. Knowledge
3. Self-Control
4. Perseverance
5. Godliness
6. Brotherly Kindness
7. Love

Are you ready to grow? Are you ready to be effective in life? The invitation is now in your possession. Let's grow!

Do:
Write out these verses on a piece of paper and stick them where you can see them during the day.

Pray and ask God to give you wisdom as you trust Him. Ask Him to help you grow up into all things that He has for you.

DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.