EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/11/2025 6:35 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “The Effort Prescribed”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Peter 1:5a
Message of the verses: “5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply”
John MacArthur begins his commentary on this verse by writing “Because of all the ‘precious and magnificent promises’ (v.4) God has given believers and because they have received ‘everything pertaining to life and godliness’ (v. 3), for this very reason they must respond with maximum effort toward living for Christ. This prescription echoes Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians:
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:12-13)
God, through Christ, granted believers a perfect and complete salvation (cf. Eph. 1:7; 3:17-21; Col. 2:10; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9); yet, paradoxically, He requires that they work it out by applying all diligence (cf. Col 1:28-29).” Now I will look at these verses from Colossians “28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom,
so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” Applying (pareisphero) means ‘to bring in,’ or ‘to supply besides’ and implies making a strong effort to provide something necessary. In view of and parallel to God’s endeavor in providing salvation, believers are compelled to call on all their regenerate faculties to live godly lives (3:14; cf. Rom. 6:22; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 5:7-9; Heb. 6:10-12). Believers must carry out that effort with all diligence (spoude, ‘zeal and eagerness’), accompanied by a sense of urgency (cf. 2 Cor. 8:7).” “7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.”
I realize that this evening’s SD is a short one, but I have mentioned that this series of verses found at the beginning of 2 Peter has always been a bit of a mystery to me, and that is why I desire to not take too big of a bite from this section so that I can better understand things from it that will help me to grow in the Lord. I look at this total section of Scripture and you begin with “applying all diligence” which is the first thing to do and then Peter will add more things to do which as far as I remember from looking at these verse before the thing you add have to be in successive order so we are now working on the first thing to look at, and will continue looking at for one more day.
I really need prayer so that the Holy Spirit can cause me to better understand this section of Scripture.
10/11/2025 6:58 PM
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