2Peter1:4
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
Peter slips in an interesting phrase, we “become partakers of the divine nature”. It sounds like an eastern mystic state. Yet here it is in the New Testament.
Before we come to Christ, we struggled with sin, emptiness, fear and sadness. We were in a fallen state. I can recall the frustration and sadness.
God put within us a yearning for more. It’s as if we naturally know we should be connected to God. We spend much time, effort and energy trying to fill that with things that won’t satisfy: possessions, fame, people, power, and so on. Some of those substitutes are good things, but they don’t fit into that God-shaped whole.
When we are forgiven, the sin that separated us is gone and God comes and fills us (Revelation 3:20). Today’s passage speaks of a different way in which we become more Christlike. It’s through His promises.
Many of His promises are like life savers. We cling to them in difficult times. When anxious we hold on to Philippians 4:7 “and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your heart”. When feeling overwhelmed we claim Romans 8:37, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us”.
God not only gives help, He works within us His nature. The Philippians passage speaks of peace. That is part of who He is. We get peace because we gain more of Him and His nature. As we walk with Him, He helps us in many areas. We gain more of Him. In this we are satisfied. That yearning for more is met.
Lord, thank You for Your promises and thank You for this process of becoming more like You.