Saturday

Related Verses
2 Pet. 1:10-11
10 Therefore, brothers, be the more diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for doing these things you shall by no means ever stumble.
11 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly and bountifully supplied to you.

2 Pet. 3:17
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, be on your guard lest being carried away by the error of the lawless, you fall from your own steadfastness.

Eph. 1:18
18 The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Eph. 4:1, 4
1 I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
4 One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

Heb. 3:1, 6, 14
1 Therefore, holy brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus,
6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end.
14 For we have become partners of Christ, if indeed we hold fast the beginning of the assurance firm to the end—

Related Reading
In 2 Peter 1:10…to be diligent is to develop the spiritual virtues in the divine life, to advance in the growth of the divine life. This makes God’s calling and selection of us firm. 

If we are diligent to develop the virtues mentioned in verses 5 through 7, we will confirm, make sure, our calling and selection…Some may question whether God has chosen them. The reason they have doubt concerning this matter is that they lack the virtues listed by Peter. But if we develop these virtues and are constituted of them, we will have the confirmation that we have been called and selected. This is to make our calling and selection firm. Furthermore, in doing these things we will never stumble, because we have been thoroughly constituted. (Life-study of 2 Peter, pp. 52-53) 

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The bountiful supply that we enjoy in the development of the divine life and divine nature…will enable and qualify us to enter into the coming kingdom by all the riches of the divine life and divine nature as our excellent virtues (energy) unto the splendid glory of God. This is not merely to be saved but, after being saved, to pursue the growth and maturity in the divine life and thereby receive the kingdom reward. 

The eternal kingdom in 2 Peter 1:11 refers to the kingdom of God, which was given to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Dan. 7:13-14), and which will be manifested at His coming back (Luke 19:11-12). It will be a reward to His faithful believers, who pursue the growth in His life unto maturity and the development of the virtues of His nature that in the millennium they may participate in His kingship in God’s glory (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4, 6). To enter thus into the eternal kingdom of the Lord is related to entering into God’s eternal glory, to which God has called us in Christ (1 Pet. 5:10; 1 Thes. 2:12). 

Second Peter 1:11 indicates that we may have an entrance richly and bountifully supplied into the kingdom of our Lord. However, a good number of Christians will not have such an entrance, because they have never built up this entrance by developing the divine seed unto maturity. If we are not constituted of the divine virtues, we will not be able to build up such an entrance. But if we have the development of the divine life and are constituted of the elements of the divine nature, a rich and bountiful entrance into the coming kingdom will be supplied to us. 

In order to be kings in the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we need maturity in life. We Christians are destined to be kings in the Lord’s kingdom. However, how can someone be a king in the coming kingdom if he lacks the maturity in the divine life?…Even if the Lord would want to enthrone as a king someone who is not mature, that person would realize that he is not able to exercise the kingship. This indicates that even we ourselves know that we need to grow to maturity in order to be kings. 

According to Peter’s word in 1:5-11, to grow to maturity is to develop what we have already received. We have been allotted the wonderful equally precious faith, and this faith is an all-inclusive seed. All the divine riches are in this seed, but we must be diligent to develop them into virtue. Then we need to develop in our virtue knowledge; in knowledge, self-control; in self-control, endurance; in endurance, godliness; in godliness, brotherly love; and in brotherly love, love. By developing these virtues we grow, and eventually, we will reach maturity. As a result, we will be full of Christ, and, in Paul’s words, we will arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). Then we will be qualified and equipped to be kings in the coming kingdom. (Life-study of 2 Peter, pp. 53-54, 61-62) 

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Peter, msg. 7 

Further Reading:
Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Peter, msg. 1

Hymn: #1211
1 Given us, given us, God has given us
Precious faith, power divine, greatest promises.
We believed, we received, now we have all three;
By these we may grow unto maturity.

2 Precious faith in each saint, precious equally,
Precious faith holding us, holding ceaselessly.
Disagree or agree, still it holds us fast,
Day by day, eternally this faith shall last.

3 Power divine wrought in us is the source so great;
Power divine is in us now to operate.
Hence will spring everything for our life within
And for godliness without, expressing Him.

4 Promises, promises, all God’s called ones share;
Promises, given us, great and precious are.
These we take to partake of God’s nature true,
Having thus escaped the world’s corruption too.

5 Christ within, as the pow’r, in our spirit lives;
Christ without is the Word—all God’s promises.
Now the key is that we daily contact both,
Calling, praying, reading to produce the growth.

6 Faith and pow’r, promises—these our full supply.
Diligence, diligence, let us now apply;
For if we, to these three, full attention show
From the seed of faith the fruit of love will grow.

7 In the growth from the seed many items come;
By this growth in the Lord fruitful we become.
For this we need to see what the Lord’s begun,
Ne’er forgetful be nor blind to what He’s done.

8 Diligence day by day will this growth insure;
Diligence thus will make our election sure.
When indeed with this seed we cooperate,
We’re supplied the kingdom’s entrance, rich and great.

9 For this growth, for this growth, Lord, ourselves we give,
By the faith, promises, and the pow’r to live.
Nothing more, nothing less, will our basis be
By Thy grace we will cooperate with Thee.