As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life.

2 Peter 1:3a NLT

I want you to know that this series is probably more for the writer than the reader. God is calling me and has been calling me to live a life of holiness before Him for several years. I desire this, but to be honest, I still struggle

He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! 2 Peter 1:3b NLT

This is such a neat verse. God has "called us to receive His own glory and goodness"! Isn't that cool?

I don't know if you've read the accounts of God's glory in the Bible, but God's glory is awesome! God's glory caused Moses to hide his face. God's glory forced Isaiah to

And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4 NLT

If you are following this series then you know that I am encouraging personal holiness. If this is your goal,

So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. 2 Peter 1:5a NLT

If every promise of God is available to you, then what should you do about it? You should take advantage of the promise.

I once preached in a church near my home for a short period. There was a man

A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 2 Peter 1:5b NLT

I heard a story one time of a little girl who wanted to talk with her puppy dog. In her dreams she became a puppy dog and then she was able to talk to her dog. Much in the same way, God wanted to reach out to mankind, so He became a human. Jesus, being fully God, became a man

Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 2 Peter 1:6 NLT

The more you know God the more holy your life will be. That sounds like an overly simplistic approach to obtaining righteousness, but it really is true. Knowing God involves, first a relationship with God. That

Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 2 Peter 1:7 NLT

As I type this it is the Christmas season. I realize this series will most likely appear in the new year, but today I'm still thinking about Christmas and the celebration of God's gift of grace to the world. Jesus gave grace

The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:8 NLT

I wanted to bake some cookies. The mixing bowl I normally use was in the sink waiting to be washed. Before I could mix up the cookies, I had to wash the bowl. I couldn't use a dirty mixing bowl. In the same

But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin. 2 Peter 1:9 NLT

One of the reasons we hold on to sinful patterns is that we fail to understand or we forget that when a person becomes a Christian, a transformation has occurred.

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:10-11 NLT

There is no debating this point. A Christian has

The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 18:1 NLT

In my Christian life there have only been a few times where I could clearly say "I heard a word from God." Don't get me wrong, I feel God's leading on a consistent basis through His Word and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but for God to directly speak to me about something in

"Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there."

Jeremiah 18:2 NLT

In order to hear a word from God we have to meet God on His terms. God will go to extreme measures to reach one of His children, but to hear from God requires us to be in a listening position with God. The non-Christian cannot

So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. Jeremiah 18:3 NLT

This verse reminds me of countless others in the Scriptures where men obeyed the command of God. "Noah did just as the Lord commanded." (Genesis 6:22) We can read similar verses about Moses, Abraham, Joseph and Mary, Paul and others. God is still looking for

But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again. Jeremiah 18:4 NLT

Sometimes God starts over with our life. Just as the potter squashed the jar he was working with and started again, God, too, will sometimes begin a whole new work in our life. Ultimately God is

Then the LORD gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18:5-6 NLT

I'm not asking if you agree with what God is allowing or doing in your life, but I do want to ask this question, will you give Him permission to do it? A better

If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will

"Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: I am planning disaster against you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.' " Jeremiah 18:11 NLT

As a follow up to yesterday's devotional, God's sometimes allows His plans to change during the course of our

But they replied, "Don't waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, following our own evil desires." Jeremiah 18:12 NLT

Some people are going to reject God's plans for their life. God will go to extreme measures to reach people, but God will allow people the freedom to reject God.

Consider your life for just a moment. How

Then the LORD said, "Has anyone ever heard of such a thing, even among the pagan nations? My virgin Israel has done something too terrible to understand! Does the snow ever melt high up in the mountains of Lebanon? Do the cold, flowing streams from the crags of Mount Hermon ever run dry? Jeremiah 18:13-14 NLT

When my son was little he loved to

These can be counted on, but not my people! For they have deserted me and turned to worthless idols. They have stumbled off the ancient highways of good, and they walk the muddy paths of sin. Therefore, their land will become desolate, a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and shake their heads in amazement at its utter

O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, 2 Chronicles 20:12a NLT

In this series we are going to look at trials. If you are breathing then you have an idea what that word means. Each of us experience trials throughout our life. We will look at what trials are,