What Mike Ratliff writes in this post sounds easy. Some might say let go and let God. But clearly we are called to be active in the process even though it is by God’s Grace alone. The points Mike makes are a good start:
How do we present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God? It is by the mercies of God, or by His grace. We can try to do this ourselves, but if we do then is just works righteousness. No, it must be by His grace.
I have a prayer and Bible study time every morning before I get into my day. That is how I submit myself to God and how I pray that by His grace I become that living sacrifice that day.
I pray for healing for those in our church that need it.
I pray for salvation of several people.
I pray for God to develop in me the Christian character that He wants me to have.
I pray for wisdom, discernment, personal holiness and Christlikeness.
A couple of other thoughts, and for what it’s worth let me add that this has become part of my morning Bible Study routine. I read Mike’s latest post. Check many of the passages quoted to my KJV and/or Geneva Bible, and if I see a verse or a phrase that stands out, I look it up in my Old John Gill commentary, and read how he saw it back over 250 years ago. I usually do this before I even get into reading the comments Mike makes.
An example….in this one, the phrase “in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” in verse 2 caught my attention. It was similarly repeated in verse 3, “the full knowledge of Him who called us”…and again in verse 8, “the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
John Gill writes this which I highlighted in my Bible App.
2 Peter 1:2
through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord; which is to be understood, not of a natural, but of a spiritual and evangelical knowledge; of a knowledge of God, not as the God of nature and providence, but as the God of all grace, as in Christ, and a covenant God in him, and of the person, offices, and grace of Christ; and which designs true faith in him, by which means larger discoveries of the grace of God are made, and a greater enjoyment of spiritual peace is had: or it may be rendered, “with the knowledge of God”, &c. and the sense then is, that the apostle prays, as for a multiplication of grace and peace, so along with it, an increase of spiritual and evangelical knowledge; which in the best is imperfect, but may be increased by the blessing of God on those means which he has appointed for that end, such as the word and ordinances. The Syriac version renders this clause, “through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”, leaving out the word “God”, and the copulative “and”, and adding the word “Christ”; and the Ethiopic version reads, “in the knowledge of our God, Christ Jesus our Lord”, without any distinction. After the inscription and salutation begins the epistle, with an account of various special favours bestowed upon these persons; and are mentioned by the apostle to encourage his faith and theirs, in expectation of enjoying what he here wishes unto them, since already such great and good things had been bestowed upon them.
2 Peter 1:8
For if these things be in you,…. Are wrought in you by the Spirit of God, and exercised and performed by his assistance, who works in his people both to will and do:
and abound; increase in their acts and exercises by the frequent performance of them: they make you; both by way of influence and evidence,
that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a knowledge of Christ which is barren and fruitless; and those that have it are so in their conversations, and it will be of no avail to them another day: and this is a mere notional and speculative knowledge, such as is not attended with any inward experience and application of Christ to themselves, or any fruits of righteousness in their lives, and is a bare theory of things relating to his person, offices, and works;
but there is a knowledge of him that is spiritual and experimental, by which a soul not only approves of Christ, but places its trust and confidence in him, and appropriates him to himself, and practically observes his commands and ordinances in the faith of him; and in love to him he performs the above duties, and exercises the above graces; from whence it appears, that he is neither barren nor unfruitful himself in the profession of his knowledge of Christ; “or in the acknowledgment of him”, as it may be rendered;
nor is that a vain, empty, and useless thing: he is not like the barren fig tree, or the earth that bears briers and thorns, and is nigh to cursing and burning, but like a tree planted by a river of water, and is green, flourishing, and fruitful. This is used as an argument to enforce the foregoing exhortation, to add to, that is, to exercise and perform the above graces and duties, in conjunction with each other.
Which made me recall John Bunyan’s even older little book on the Barren Fig Tree, I guess I need to read it again.
The title page was printed with a wide black border, most probably, to get the reader’s attention.
1688
He ends the introduction with:
But I will keep thee no longer out of the book. Christ Jesus, the dresser of the vineyard, take care of thee, dig about thee, and dung thee, that thou mayest bear fruit; that when the Lord of the vineyard cometh with his axe to seek for fruit, or pronounce the sentence of damnation on the barren fig-tree, thou mayest escape that judgment. The cumber- ground must to the wood-pile, and thence to the fire. Farewell.
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus in sincerity. Amen.
JOHN BUNYAN
Before I get too satisfied with my own routine..And even reposting this to my own blog….I need to remind myself of this daily.
Larger Catechism
Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man? A. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
And then get to work on the harder part…that’s the actual prayers of the day.
Mat 6:9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Rainbow Trout 