Reminders

"Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone. For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

2 Peter 1:12-21

Reminders.

When I hear this word, I think of the app on my phone that goes off several times a day to tell me to do something I otherwise would have completely forgotten to do. It is like timed sticky notes that pop up throughout my day and help me complete the tasks needed on a regular basis. I think we live in such a fast-paced world with such efficient ways of doing things that we forget the importance of slowing down and reminding ourselves of why we do what we do.

In this passage, Peter is doing just that for the believers reading his letter. He starts out in verse 12 by stating that he intends to always remind his readers of the qualities they have been given the power to live out through Christ (v. 3-8). He then begins to remind them why they should pursue a life lived out in faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, etc.

Peter reminds his readers of two things. First, he wants them to remember that he was an actual eyewitness to the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36a). This is important because we know that Peter’s life, ministry, and words are not based on something he heard but something he truly saw with his own eyes. He had firsthand knowledge of Jesus and what the Father said about him.

Second, Peter reminds his readers that all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. While each man the Lord used to pen His Word wrote according to his own personality, background, style, and vocabulary, they were all writing under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, all scripture is the Word of God. This is an amazing truth that we often overlook -- we get to read the actual words of our God whenever we open our Bibles. What a privilege that I pray we never take for granted!

Within these nine verses, Peter is simply reminding all Christ followers that we should focus on living a faithful life in obedience to the Word of God. The divine mysteries and workings of the Holy Spirit and the power of scripture should spur us on to continue in our faith journey. Our focus should be to live faithfully in obedience to the scriptures, allowing Christ to produce in us the qualities mentioned in previously verses (2 Peter 1:3-8).

Dear Lord, may we slow down today and remind ourselves of the power of the scriptures. They are Your words to us. What a privilege it is to read them on a daily basis. Give us strength to obey Your Word today, knowing that we serve an all powerful God who has given us everything we need to live the godly life You have called us to. May we live in faithful obedience to You today. In Jesus name, Amen.