2 Peter 1:10-14 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. 13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14 knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

Even Apostles die. As Peter, the Chief Apostle, writes to the Church, He said:

“‘As long as I am in this tabernacle’ {vs 13}I’m going to remind you what you as believers should be doing” {my paraphrase}. Peter said:

2 Peter 1:14 …. knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

Word Study What is “my tabernacle” that Peter is talking about? “Tabernacle” is σκήνωμα skḗnōma, {pronounced skay’-no-mah} which means “a tent, a portable temple”. Peter, as well as Paul (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4) ofen used the term “tabernacle” or “tent” to refer to their earthly bodies. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven He told Peter:

John 21:18-19 Verily, verily, I say unto thee {Peter}, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

Peter knew that he would die by crucifixion, just as our Jesus did, for Jesus told him so. But Jesus told Peter “Follow me”, which is the mark of the Christian. The Christian follows Jesus. The Christian does as God says do. Peter could have avoided dying for Jesus. He could have refused to follow the Lord, and he would have been no threat at all. But Jesus said “Follow me”.

If you are saved, you follow Jesus.

Do You Have A “Know So” or a “SURE” Salvation?

Death comes to all, and none of us truly know when we will have to “put off this my tabernacle”. Sooner or later it must come. To avoid being frightened of that time – for it should not be frightening to the Child of God – Peter says:

2 Peter 1:10 … brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall

“Give diligence” or make sure you DO this. Make sure, first of all, that you are CALLED of GOD. Every person Jesus has ever saved, He has called. Jesus said:

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)
Follow Me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:22)
Follow Me, not money (Matthew 9:9)
Take your Cross and follow Me (Matthew 10:38)
Cast away your false gods, and Follow Me (Matthew 19:21)
Follow Me and be blessed (Matthew 19:28)

The Christian follows Jesus. I follow Jesus because I need miracles in my life. I follow Jesus because this world is a scary and lonely place. I follow Jesus, because He gives me confidence to live. The Scripture says – and I agree –

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.

My life must be lived while following Christ Jesus. There is no power in the world. Jesus is the Vine, and I but a branch. My blessing is to be attached to Him. Jesus said in John 15:6

“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

We no longer run with the world, for that is destructive. To run with the world is to be “cast forth as a branch, and is withered” – then the world will destroy your life. We follow Jesus.

We do not follow the world,
the crowd,
my desires,
but ONLY JESUS.

It is Jesus Who called me into salvation. It is Jesus Who chose me to be His. The Apostle said:

“give diligence to make your
CALLING and election sure”

Word Study God not only CALLED you, He CHOSE you. God CHOSE to call you. The word “election” is the Greek ἐκλογή eklogḗ, {pronounced ek-log-ay’}, which means to be called out, to be selected, to be set apart. The very word “CHURCH” in the Greek is ἐκκλησία ekklēsía, {pronounced ek-klay-see’-ah}, which means “those who are CALLED or CHOSEN OUT”.

As Christians, you no longer belong to this world. You are on assignment here, but you are children of the Almighty. Your home is in Heaven.

1 Peter 2:7-9 Unto you therefore which believe {Jesus} is precious … 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

The Christian is a person set apart from this world, the chosen and beloved children of God. You do not belong to yourselves anymore – you belong to Him Who paid so much for you. By His Blood the Lord purchased our freedom from sin and hell. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God saved you, and God owns you.

When God saved Israel, He told them:

Leviticus 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

Peter applies the same standard to the Church. He said in:

1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of {life}; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Holiness Is A Positive, Not A Negative

Israel was to be “holy” or separate from the world, because she was chosen out by God. In like manner you as Christians are chosen out of this world by God. We are to “Be holy” because God is “holy”. What does it mean to be “holy”? Some people view holiness as a series of NEGATIVES. They view holiness like the Pharisees viewed holiness. To the Pharisees, holiness is a list of things that you DON’T DO. But that’s not what holiness is.

Holiness begins with faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It begins by giving your life to Jesus. When you give your life to Jesus, when you hear his CALL, He CHOOSES to bring you into the Family of God. Because of Jesus and the love that God has given you as His children, you are also given:

2 Peter 1:4 …. exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The world has no hold on your soul. God has given you “great and precious promises” because of Jesus. Though you will one day have to “put off this my tabernacle”, when you do so this will just be Phase 1 of your life. Phase 2 is eternity. You belong to God. You are to be imitators of God, not of this world.

Holiness is not a negative, but a positive. It’s not about what you avoid, but what you do. If you are saved by faith in Christ, then Peter tells you to ADD some things to your life.

2 Peter 1:5-8 giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• “virtue”. Holiness means to do the right thing, the thing God said.
• “knowledge”. You only become holy by learning what Christ said, and doing what you learned.
• “temperance”. Control your desires. “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15)
• “patience”. Be long suffering with others, and with yourself.
• “godliness”. Imitate God your Father.
• “brotherly kindness”. Be kind to those around you. Love your neighbor as yourself.
• “charity”. Love others by doing good to them, regardless as to what they do to you.

If you are saved by faith in Christ, then you are to work in partnership with God the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus every day. We are called to GROW in our knowledge of Him. To DO the things He tells us to do.

The great Evangelist Dwight L. Moody said:

“It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. We are told to let our light shine, and if it does we won’t need to tell anybody it does. The light will be its own witness. Lighthouses don’t ring bells and fire cannon to call attention to their shining – they just shine.”

Let us all shine for Jesus! Let us live our lives following Him, knowing that our life on this earth is but temporary – but a better time is coming. Let us live for Him! May God bless your hearts and grow you through this devotional. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen and Amen.