All I Need

November 21, 2023

This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 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. 2 Peter 1:1-4 NLT

Do you ever feel inept, uneducated, and unprepared, too ordinary for the challenging, lifetime assignment as a parent? You are in good company. Peter was an ordinary fisherman from the small town of Capernaum. He was born to a low-income family and was not raised with the privileges afforded to the wealthy or well-placed Jewish community. Whereas Paul could describe himself as well-educated and had all the credentials to prove he was among the very best prepared of the Jewish people to lead, Peter is described in Acts 4:13 as "uneducated and ordinary.” We know that he was likely illiterate, meaning he could neither read nor write. Mark wrote the gospel of Mark from Peter’s dictation to him, and his letters were likely dictated to Mark or Silvanus, both who traveled and served with him.

Not only did he lack the training he would have wished, but Peter also knew that in his first efforts as a disciple of Christ he failed miserably and publicly. Yet he was given the task of “parenting” the new believers of the early church. Peter was the first great leader of the church after Jesus returned to heaven. Can you imagine anything more likely to intimidate him?

However, we are all parts of Jesus’ family of believers, we all have a relationship with Jesus and the great life He promises, in large degree because Peter stepped up to the challenge and succeeded in fulfilling the task. How did he do that? First, his identity was secure. He didn’t rely on any of his own accomplishments, nor shy away from any of his “disqualifiers.” He confidently claimed his identity as “a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.” That gave him confidence. Then, he believed by faith that he had all he needed to fulfill all he was called to do. He said this is the gift God gives us when we come to Him as His children. He will never ask us to do anything He does not supply the resources to do. He actively claimed the great and precious promises of God that would enable him to live above and beyond his natural abilities. Peter stepped into the promises and found himself able for every situation he faced. We will too. God has given us everything we need to lead this generation well.

• Jesus, I can easily get overwhelmed when I consider who I am and what I know. But You have given me all I need in Your promises. I look to You for wisdom and guidance today.