Have you ever come to church only to hear something you already knew? Do you often sit down at bible study or church and think to yourself “yep, I already know all this stuff”.

Are we doing something wrong? Should we spend less time reminding people of things they already know?

Well the Apostle Peter doesn’t have a problem saying the same things over and over, 2 Peter 1:12 Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.

What are ‘these things’ that Peter reminds them of? Maybe they are complicated issues of the faith that believers sometimes forget about?

He reminds believers that they should respond to God’s promises with godly living. 

More specifically, he gives them a list of qualities they should pursue; moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection and love (1:5-7)

These Christians are standing firm in the truth, so why does Peter need to remind them so often?

Did they completely forget to live godly lives just as we will forget a password, birthday or anniversary?

I don’t think so. Peter knows they didn’t intellectually forget but that they may practically forget.

Peter doesn’t just want believers to intellectually accept the truth, he wants them to live it out!

You are going to be reminded of things you already ‘know’ because the things in our heads don’t always carry across to our hands.

Which of those qualities do you know you should live out… but don’t?

Take heart friends, for “by his divine power God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (1:3). 

We can change because God lives in us!

Take every reminder from God as a blessing and keep pushing into godliness so “God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (v. 11).

JACOB MIERENDORFF

How confident are you about the future?

There are so many unknowns right now, aren’t there?

At a time of escalating war in Europe, and an ongoing global pandemic, it’s harder and harder to make plans about anything.

Sometimes it’s hard to be confident in the future when there’s so much uncertainty, but there’s actually something in which we can have total confidence.

We can have total confidence in our eternal future, if we personally follow Jesus.

The Bible tells us that if we personally follow Jesus, then we can be totally confident about Judgement Day.

In Romans 8 we read that, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (verse 31 and 32)

We can have certainty for eternity because God gave up his Son Jesus for us.

But what’s more, we are spiritually bulletproof if we follow Jesus, verse 33:

33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

That means that on Judgement Day there will be no condemnation for those who personally follow Jesus.

Furthermore, because Jesus rose from the dead, it means that we’ve got more than enough evidence for our confidence.

We can have “right standing” with God, because Jesus took our place.

If you personally follow Jesus as your loving ruler, then he will take care of you on Judgement Day, and you will have nothing to fear.

That’s a future we can have confidence in!

JODIE McNEILL

(photo credit: Dr. Matthias Ripp via Flickr.com)