​In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
 
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
 
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
 
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
 
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
 
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
 
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27    So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
 
Meditation
God is the sovereign creator of all things, establishing humanity to represent Him and His authority to direct all of life for God’s glory.
 
As creator, God formed and filled the earth. The Father spoke the world into existence through the Word, and the Spirit gave order to the chaos (1-2). Days 1-3 formed day, night, heaven, earth, land, and sea. Days 4-6 filled what God formed with heavenly bodies, animals of the land, sky, and sea, vegetation, and people like you and me- Adam and Eve. The place God designed and built was “good,” and to continually be filled with goodness through further multiplication and fruitfulness (22, 28).
 
As creatures, God made male and female in His “image” and “likeness” (26-27), tremendous dignity to humanity, the “crown of God’s creation” commissioned to have dominion for His majesty (Psalm 8). Adam and Eve were royal representatives of God, celebrating God’s authority and representing all of humanity.
 
God historically created the world and intentionally crafted humanity with inherent dignity, molded in His image to extend the goodness of God’s glory through furthering His beneficial authority. We worship God as creator and are “satisfied” being created in God’s likeness (Psalm 17:15).
 
The fall fractured humanities image bearing and frustrated God’s good creation, dis-ordering God’s good design and misdirecting humanity’s domain. But God did not give up on His creatures or creation. Through the work of Jesus Christ, our Creator who dwelt with us, humans can be renewed in God’s image (Colossians 3:10) to participate in the restoration of God’s world.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What grabs you from God’s creation account, especially from the intentionality of God’s forming and filling and the dignity of humanity?
 
-Do you worship God as Creator, celebrating the intentionality of every detail of His design? Do you celebrate humanities dignity, created in His image and likeness to rule on His behalf? Why or why not?
 
-How does the work of Jesus give us hope to see the disorder of our fallen world being restored personally and socially? Where do you need to apply the gospel to your life so you can be renewed after the image of God? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

“Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they refine.
2     Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from the ore.
3     Man puts an end to darkness
and searches out to the farthest limit
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4     He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
they are forgotten by travelers;
they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
5     As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6     Its stones are the place of sapphires,
and it has dust of gold.
7     “That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.
8     The proud beasts have not trodden it;
the lion has not passed over it.
9     “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
10    He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
11    He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12    “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13    Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
14    The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15    It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16    It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
17    Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18    No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above ppearls.
19    The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20    “From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21    It is hidden from the eyes of all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22    Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23    “God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24    For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25    When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26    when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27    then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28    And he said to man,
       ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
 
Meditation
Humility and wisdom go together as humanity celebrates limitations by looking to God alone to make sense of everything, especially what we do not understand. Creatures look to our Creator for His design for all of life, especially how to walk when our ways are difficult. Humility is to seek Wisdom, God Himself, to understand everything.
 
Christians receive Christ in humility demonstrated by repentance and belief, and we are admonished to walk in the same way as we began (Colossians 2:6). In Jesus is “the treasury of wisdom,” (Colossians 2:3) so to walk in humility is to repent over everywhere we turn other than Christ for wisdom, trusting Jesus is sufficient for all wisdom and understanding.
 
Job points us to Jesus not only by persevering through undeserved suffering but also in his journey for wisdom. Job has wondered “Why” he is suffering (3:20, 23) and now he is looking for “Where” to understand. Wisdom is found when we fear God enough to turn to Him alone for understanding (28).
 
Seeking wisdom is costly, but worth the effort (1-11). Wisdom cannot be found anywhere on the earth, yet it must be found by humans living in a fallen and frustrating world (12-22). The humble resolution is to realize wisdom is found in God alone (23-28). Wisdom is “trusting in the Lord with all our heart, leaning not on our own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5).
 
Humility embraces limitations, looking to God alone for wisdom. Grace gives ground for you to do this no matter where you find yourself.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the urgency and search for wisdom revealed in today’s reading?
Do you look for wisdom this intensely?
 
-Why is it difficult to celebrate your limitations, humbly acknowledging you need something greater to give you understanding?
 
-How can you direct the gaze of your heart to God alone, seeing His sufficiency to give you all you need for understanding? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
12    “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13    Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. 

​The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.” 2 And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. 3 And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” 5 And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” 6 they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.
Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside his clan, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.
11 After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
 
Meditation
The gospel leaves such ultimate transformation for the Christian that their language of love is distinct from how church is typically done. Gospel pronunciation with our life embodies the teaching and work of Jesus: To be the greatest we become the servant of all, the way to life is through dying to ourselves, the way to become rich is to live for other’s gain, we love our enemies and we do good to those who hate us. And surprisingly, gospel pronunciation with our lives can  find the greatest friction from within God’s people.
 
Jephthah moved from external conflict with the Ammonites to internal conflict with the tribe of Ephraim, disputing over who should have helped who (and when) quickly turning into civil war. Welcoming new recruits, Jephthah’s army was suspicious of Ephraim defectors. Jephthah’s men devised a linguistic test to detect infiltrators, asking fugitives to say the word “Shibboleth.” The meaning is not important because the pronunciation revealed whether or not they were from the region of Ephraim. If “shibboleth” was pronounced with emphasis on the wrong syllable then the person was sized and slaughtered.
 
This difficult narrative builds on the familiarity of pronouncements to reinforce distinction, and potential death, arising from differences. Jesus was put to death by His own people because of the distinction of the pronouncement of His love, ultimately giving His life for non-Israelites to receive God’s light. Christians today can expect the same tension from within “the Church” when we love and live with a true gospel pronouncement.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the strategy of Jephthah and Gilead to identify potential infiltrators?
 
-Why is it difficult at times to boldly pronounce the gospel with our lives?
 
-Where do you see “The Church” having friction within our own family concerning how certain people live and love (consider people who love political enemies, victims of abuse, and those who love like Jesus so much their associations are used to condemn them)? How does the way religious Jews treated Jesus (a Jew) explain the pain and problems that come when we live and love with a true gospel pronouncement?
 
Key Verse
6 they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
 
Meditation
God’s astounding grace invites you to see His face and know His love.
 
Jesus was God in the flesh. Eugene Peterson memorably paraphrases 1:14, “The word became flesh, and moved into the neighborhood.” Paul celebrates this reality by proclaiming, “all the fullness of God” was manifest in Jesus (Colossians 1:19). Hebrews adds that Jesus was the exact imprint of God’s nature, the radiance of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus was fully God and fully human, Love with an epidermis.
 
Jesus is the Word through which creation came into being (1-5). All things were made through Jesus and without Jesus nothing was made. Jesus is the Creator who became creation, the Word who became flesh. Jesus is true light and true life who came to make God known (9-18).
 
John the Baptist was “the voice” sent to prepare the way for Jesus (19-28). John pointed to Jesus as “The lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world” (29, 36). When John baptized Jesus, the Spirit of God consecrated the anointing of Jesus as the Son of God (30-34). As Nathaniel soon discovered, Jesus was the true King of Israel (43-51) who came to live among His people.
 
Our Creator who became creation extends an intimate invitation- “Follow me” (43). Jesus invites humanity to “come and see” (39, 46) who God truly is, to know His love even as we are fully known. Jesus is God who came to dwell with us so we can know His grace to richly dwell in His world.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the depth of revelation concerning who Jesus is and the specific ways Jesus reveals Himself in the chapter?
 
-Where do you settle for a small Jesus, not embracing Him for who He has revealed Himself to be?
 
-How does the gracious invitation of Jesus to “come and see” and to “follow Me” compel you to want to know Him more? What is one or two ways you can prioritize knowing Jesus more personally?
 
Key Verse
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
 
Meditation
The end of Paul’s Corinthian correspondence sets a new beginning for Paul’s relationship with the church. Strengthening Relationships takes work, and the gospel gives Christians a solid foundation to seek restoration for rehabilitation of relationships. 
 
Paul’s second reminder that he is prepared to visit Corinth a third time sets the table for personal reconciliation with the church as it sets a course of reconciliation for other Christians. Gospel centered community is eager to “aim for restoration” through reconciliation.
 
Paul points to the ancient path of settling disputes, the well-worn ways of establishing a charge against someone found in Deuteronomy 19, in hopes of a new start when he comes again. Paul’s strong apostolic authority is the basis of the appeal, solidified through the power of Christ (1-4), which is also the means of security for the Corinthian Christians to examine themselves and their own faith (6-10). Strengthening relationship utilizes God’s ancient paths, necessitates self-awareness, and is centered on God’s finished work in Jesus.
 
Paul ends his letter with six imperatives to strengthen relationships (11-14) before celebrating the unity of the conclusion of the epistle: Living our identity as God’s people, Christians should: rejoice, aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and greet one another in holiness. These actions will deepen corporate unity to more faithfully reflect the Trinity. Paul’s final blessing is also an appeal to unity’s highest ideal:
 
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God (the Father) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading regarding the relational work Paul prioritizes, both in his relationship with the church and their relationship with one another?
 
-Which of the six imperatives is most difficult for you and your faith community? Why?
 
-How does Paul’s final blessing with the Trinity empower the Church to aim for restoration?
 
Key Verse
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

​Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirm Your Calling and Election
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
 
Meditation
The gospel guarantees the power for disciples to partake in Divine life- today. Through the work of Jesus, Christians are free to live, love, and look like Jesus.
 
The foundation for participation in Divine life is a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and prioritizing the power of God’s prophetic word. Peter was an “eyewitness to (Christ’s) majesty,” seeing the majestic glory of God on the mount of transfiguration and hearing the voice of the Father (16-18). Peter celebrates the power of God’s Spirit speaking God’s word through men chosen by God (19-21). So too Christians encounter Christ personally, hearing the voice of our Father sharing His unconditional love through Christ, as we allow God’s Spirit to use God’s word in our life to make us look more like Jesus.
 
With this foundation, disciples are guaranteed the power to participate in all things that pertain to life and godliness (3). Having escaped the corruption of the world, Christians can begin reconstruction of our lives using the building blocks of faith, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and brotherly love (4-7). Partaking in Divine life is a lifelong reconstruction process, increasing as we know Christ more (8-15).
 
Though Christians will never be perfect in this life, God’s mercy moves us to “make every effort” to zealously partake in Divine life. Disciples of Christ build on our faith with blocks shaped by Christ, putting on the character and clothes of Christ that we might live, love, and look like Jesus.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you believe God has guaranteed you to have the power to partake in Divine life- today?
 
-What keeps you from participating in being made more like Jesus, building on a personal encounter with Christ and the prophetic word of Christ with character traits of Christ?
 
-How does the Trinitarian reality (work of Jesus, love of the Father, speaking of the Spirit) compel you to “make every effort” to become more like Jesus? What is a specific area of your life where you can do this?
 
Key verse
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.