for this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness… with knowledge… self-control… endurance… godliness… brotherly affection… love…

I’ve always been encouraged and challenged by 2 Peter 1:3-10 – so much discipleship depth in there. I’ve preached it, taught it, and just talked about it so many times. But this morning, I was struck by a couple of “bookend” in this passage.

In v12 Peter says, I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in truth.

Then in v5, For this very reason… What Reason? The understanding from vv3-4 that his divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness. That he, by his own glory and goodness, has given us what we need to live life and be godly. His grace has provided all we need for reconciliation with God, for salvation from the penalty of sin… to be free from bondage… So, for THIS very reason…

How should I, one indwelt by the Spirit of God, sone set free from sin, with access to the divine nature living in me, how should I live? What should be my practices? Should I be simply grateful to be “saved”, now go do what I want?

NO – there is more.

Make every effort – those three words are literally, “apply with all eagerness and diligence”.

To my salvation, which only God can do, has done, let me apply with all eager diligence…

to SUPPLEMENT your faith…

v12 – even though you know… are established in truth… and then v13 I think it is right as long as I am in this bodily tent, to wake you up with a reminder… WOW… Paul says, I have to do this, I will do this, I will poke you every time I see you, write you, talk to you, gonna send you a daily text message…

to supplement your faith… Yes, I’m “saved”, made alive in Christ, that’s completed… but

DO THE DANCE – Act like you are listening to the Spirit’s music.

Where did I get THAT?

supplement – epichoregeo = supply, provide, give – and that Greek word comes from the root, choros = a dance, dancing.

Let that sit in for a second…

And supplement is a verb (action) in “aorist” tense – which means it is a present action, a “snapshot” that summarizes things as they are… like this picture of a sunset… It’s a single picture, but you can see the sunsetting, but also the waves are rolling and crashing, a bird is flying, so much happening… and supplement is in the “imperative” tense – DO IT, NOW, you MUST.

HELLO – Wow – that really spoke to me today… “Hey Goforth! If you know Jesus, if you have a divine nature within you…

“DO THE DANCE!”

You ever see someone, no music playing, no headphones on, but they have a little head bob happening, shoulders shimmying, a groove going on?

I saw someone like that awhile back and asked, “hey, what music is playing in your head?” They smiled and told me, like, “oops he caught me”.

Faith and the Indwelling of God is something I put in my pocket, in the drawer at home, or in my safe… No – I should “groove” according TO it, applying with all eagerness, applying it…

Doing the Dance

goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love

It’s much like Paul’s description of the “fruit of the Spirit”. Those are not separate things, they are one individual thing that is the result of having the Spirit.

Sometimes people look at a list like this and say, “that’s not my thing”, “I like this or that”, but “that’s not my gift”, or “I struggle with that”

Nope… if we couldn’t do those things, we wouldn’t be told to do them… but we can, if we will. Yes, some may take work, but listen to the music of the Spirit, surrender to the groove, and

DO THE DANCE