Keeping Eternity in Mind
2 Peter 1:4-7 (NLT) And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
We can escape the corruption of the world! Yes, yes, and yes! And here is how: live in moral excellence. This means you stop living in sin, you cannot sleep with someone you aren't married to, you can't live a drunkard's lifestyle, or one of a glutton, do not follow after the lusts of the flesh. An easy way to live in moral excellence, is to seek the face of God each day, focus on loving Him and loving others and the desires of the flesh will disappear. You won't have to look at a list of rules and regulations on how to live, you just have to focus on Jesus and live in a way that brings glory to God. Those are things we can all do - through the Holy Spirit. As we live in moral excellence we gain knowledge, and then self-control, and we become more patient which allows us to live in a godly manner meaning we will have a brotherly love for others and then we can truly love everyone.
We love them because God loves them, even if their lifestyle doesn't line up with moral excellence, we still love them. We see them for who God created them to be - even if it's who they will be in the future because they may be blinded by the ways of the world right now…. but because you are now in their life, you can speak blessings over them, pray for them, encourage them, prophesy over them and tell them how much God cares about them and wants them to live in the fullness He has created them to live in.
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT) I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Spending daily time with God will allow you to become deeply rooted in His love and give you the strength for each day as you live a life that pleases God and draws others toward you because of the excellent spirit you carry. Our time is so short on the earth, we have to have a daily focus on the will of God and realize that the souls of man are at risk if we do not do our part. It's a joy to be a part of something that will last for all of eternity! What is one thing you are doing today that will affect someone else's eternity? Selah.
