Episode 168

Obedience isn’t easy, but it IS possible. Today’s declaration contains a promise that—no matter how much we struggle to live right and do right—we absolutely CAN obey God. His divine power at work in us makes the impossible possible.

What is a godly life? Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words says a “godly” life is well-pleasing to God and is characterized by a Godward attitude. It denotes pious, devout reverence for God that is manifested in actions. Living that way sounds impossible to me, but God has given me everything I need for living a godly life.

God seems to be pushing a theme in my life lately and it’s this: God’s grace empowers us to live right and covers us when we fall short. 2 Peter continues this theme. God’s grace means we can share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption. God’s grace means we can grow more and more godly even if we stumble from time to time. Peter wants us to know that failure to grow comes from forgetting that we’ve been cleansed from our old sins, which is another way of saying we haven’t embraced God’s grace.

Living a godly life starts with devout reverence for God. The actions that manifest this godliness will naturally follow if we remember the grace of God and make every effort to respond to His promises. So, let’s thank God for cleansing us of old sins. Let’s thank God for His grace. Let’s thank God for giving us everything we need to live a life that is well-pleasing to Him. We are not perfect, but we are blameless in the sight our God because of the redemptive work of Jesus. Hallelujah!

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This week’s scripture: 2 Peter 1:2-10