“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature.” 2 Peter 1:4
Dear Ones:
When Israel came out of Egypt, from under the domination of Pharoah, it was for the purpose of going into the land of Canaan, and possessing it. The Lord Jesus does not deliver us from Satan, Sin, and the World, to sit on the shore of the Red Sea, or on the bank of the Jordan River. We are called, as Israel was, to go up and possess the Land. For us, on this side of Pentecost in particular, we are called to possess Christ, to KNOW Him, and as Peter writes: “…that ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature.” How is this to be done?
The first thing we must grasp in this endeavor of possessing Christ, is that we must have a certain knowledge of the truth concerning the work that the Lord Jesus has accomplished for us. In 2 Peter 1:3, he writes: “According as His divine power HATH GIVEN unto us ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Paul puts it like this: “For in Him (Christ) dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are COMPLETE in Him.” (Col. 2:9,10) God has blessed us (past tense) with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places IN CHRIST. Handley Moule wrote concerning the application of these truths: “There is no difficulty inward or outward which Thou art not ready to meet in me today.”
The second thing we must lay hold upon is this: as all things are made possible “…through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue,” so this knowledge is made ours IN EXPERIENCE by being committed to deliberately believe the promises that God has given. In Hebrews 4:1-2, the author writes about the scope and power of a promise, a promise by which we “enter.” The call of God is to bring us to believe and embrace the God of the promise TODAY. God’s way of entering into the promised land, this land of “rest,” and primarily of possessing Christ, is whole-hearted faith in the faithfulness of God, according to His word, specifically His promises.
Dear Father, open our eyes to see the vast resources that we have in Christ, and your vision for knowing Him. By the knowledge of what we see, and according to Thy “…exceeding great and precious promises,” strengthen our hearts to go up and possess Him for every aspect of our living. Then we shall know Him increasingly, and You shall be glorified. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad