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"I show you a still more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:31). Biblical love is characterized by humility, obedience to God, and self-sacrifice. In our society, love is a common word but an uncommon experience. Often those who use the word most understand it least. Many who think they've found love have really settled for something far less than God intended for them. For many, love means a romantic or sexual relationship. While Scripture has much to say about intimacy within marriage, the word love takes on a different meaning in the New Testament. Even Ephesians 5:25 ("Husbands, love your wives")...

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). There are specific indicators that warn us if we are loving money. Today’s verse is a classic reference and contains the overarching scriptural principle concerning our attitude toward money. In referring to the love of money, Paul is essentially talking about the sin of greed. That sin is a serious offense in God’s eyes, which means we ought to desire with all our hearts to have victory over it. And we can begin to achieve such victory by recognizing the major warning signs of...

"I show you a still more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:31). Without love, spiritual gifts are meaningless. First Corinthians 13 has been called the hymn of love, a lyrical interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes set to music. It's a beautiful portion of Scripture that comes as a breath of fresh air in a book dealing with one problem after another. This chapter has often been isolated from its context, but its real power lies in the balance and correction it gives to the rest of the book. The Corinthians, like all Christians, had been gifted...

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Believers should not have a self-centered preoccupation with money. With all the attention modern society gives to money, what it can buy, and the dividends it can earn, Christians are continually challenged to view it properly. But Scripture provides us with much help and guidance in this area. It is replete with warnings and...

"Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Cor. 16:14). The more you love God, the less you will sin. Scripture and personal experience teach us that sin always has its consequences. When you harbor unconfessed sin, you dishonor God and forfeit the blessings and joy He desires for you. Prolonged sin might even bring His chastening through pain or illness. That's what happened to Corinthian believers who partook of the Lord's Table in a sinful manner (1 Cor. 11:27-30). Paul warned the rest of the congregation to take careful spiritual inventory of themselves to avoid incurring a...

“‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’” (Matthew 6:21). In wealthy countries, where the focus is on material things, believers must strive for the right perspective on possessions. Today’s text answers the simple but age-old question, Where is your heart? When our Lord answers the question, it is clear He is referring to all of life’s major preoccupations and investments—anything that receives most of our thinking, planning, and expenditure of energy. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had their hearts in the wrong places. Among their many other sins, the Pharisees were thing-oriented—covetous, greedy, avaricious, and...

"Obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls" (1 Pet. 1:9). Your present deliverance sets you free from the penalty and power of sin. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul says that "the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (emphasis added). That emphasizes the marvelous reality of the believer's present deliverance from sin. Peter stressed the same truth in 1 Peter 1:9, where he says that believers obtain as the outcome of their faith the salvation of their souls....

“For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). Assurance of salvation lets us enjoy earthly blessings. It is encouraging that scriptural assurance results in specific, practical blessings in the Christian life. Here are six I’d like to share with you today. Assurance makes you praise God. There is no way you can be filled with praise and gratitude to God if you’re not sure you’re saved. Assurance adds joy to your earthly duties and trials. No matter what happens to you, you can be certain that all will work out well in the...

"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8). Fellowship with Christ is built on love, trust, and obedience. The recipients of 1 Peter, like us, had never seen Christ but they enjoyed fellowship with Him just the same. And their fellowship was genuine because it was marked by love, trust, and obedience. The love Peter speaks of in 1 Peter 1:8 isn't shallow emotionalism or sentimentality. It's the love of the will— the love...

“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2 Peter 1:10-11). The pursuit of virtue results in assurance now and eternal reward later. Assurance is a great blessing, as Peter tells us in verse 10 of today’s passage. However, it is not the only thing you will enjoy if you are pursuing godly virtues. Years ago a...

"That the proof of your faith . . . may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7). Your future reward is directly related to your present service. The joy you experience after your faith has been tested and proven genuine is largely due to your present blessings and assurance of salvation. But there's a future aspect as well: the joy of anticipating the reward you'll receive from Jesus when you see Him face to face and hear "Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and...

“For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:9). If you don’t practice spiritual virtues now, you’ll forget their significance later. Physical nearsightedness and mental amnesia both are unwanted conditions. Nearsightedness (myopia) causes people’s eyes to focus the parallel rays of light in front of the retina. They can clearly see things right in front of them, but the farther out they look, the more out of focus objects become. Amnesia, of course, is memory loss. Sometimes it’s selective, but usually it’s total—everything prior to a certain time...

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:6-7). Proven faith brings joy and confidence. Although some Christians fear that trials and persecutions can only rob them of their joy, Peter taught just the opposite. In fact, he said that joy comes not in spite of trouble but because...

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8). If you are a Christian, your life will produce spiritual fruit. If you want to enjoy assurance of salvation in all its richness, you need to faithfully pursue all the virtues we have been studying this past week. The reason is simple—they produce fruit in the Christian life, and nothing is a better indicator of true salvation than that. It was the criterion Christ used to distinguish between the true and false...

"To obtain an inheritance which is . . . reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:4-5). Your eternal inheritance is doubly secure: it is reserved for you, and you are reserved for it. When Peter wrote his first epistle, attitudes toward Christians in the Roman Empire were not at all favorable. Because they would not worship the emperor as a god, or enter into other sinful pagan practices, Christians were looked upon with suspicion and disdain. In addition,...

“And in your godliness, brotherly kindness . . .” (2 Peter 1:7). Real Christian discipleship will include practical brotherly love. A genuine love for God will invariably lead to a love for others. That’s what Jesus said of the two great commandments (Matt. 22:36-40) that summarize the Ten Commandments. The apostle John also related love for God and love for others: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). The...

"To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away" (1 Pet. 1:4). Unlike earthly treasures, your eternal inheritance can never be taken away from you. Despite the benefits of bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and a myriad of other investment opportunities, every earthly inheritance eventually is lost. If someone doesn't steal it, or if it doesn't lose its value in a stock market crash or recession, death will separate it from you. It's inevitable! That's why Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break...

“. . . And in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness” (2 Peter 1:6). Godly perseverance is a sure evidence of true salvation. Commentator Michael Green has this to say about the believer who displays biblical perseverance: “The mature Christian does not give up. His Christianity is like the steady burning of a star rather than the ephemeral brilliance (and speedy eclipse) of a meteor.” The Greek word translated “perseverance” in today’s verse (hupomone) refers to consistent endurance in righteousness and faithfulness in resisting temptation. The precise meaning for hupomone is hard to pinpoint. There is no exact...

"[God] caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3). Everyone receives an eternal inheritance—either Heaven or Hell. We have seen several aspects of the believer's inheritance, and will see more in future days. But realize that unbelievers also will receive an inheritance, for Jesus will say to them, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt. 25:41,...

“And in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance . . .” (2 Peter 1:6). Personal self-control demonstrates the certainty of your salvation. In Peter’s day, the word translated “self-control” was used to describe athletes. The successful ones abstained from sexual activity and an unhealthy diet for the sake of disciplined training exercises. You practice personal self-control when you control your desires and don’t allow them to control you. Let me share some practical tips that have helped me with self-control. 1. Start small. For example, begin by cleaning your bedroom or office, then extend that discipline to the...