2 May you have more and more grace and peace through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
3 By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory.
Reflection
When I was growing up, if you stayed up long enough watching TV, you were sure to encounter a commercial for a product that was too good to be true. And it never failed that, at some point in the pitch, the announcer would say: “But wait! There’s more!” It was all part of a craven strategy to keep you tuned in so they could sell you a set of knives, plus a cheese slicer and a pizza cutter, all for the bargain price of $19.99 plus $5.95 shipping and handling. But it worked because we as humans always want more.
It’s rare when you find a thing…anything! that meets expectations. Most of the time, we get to the end and say…”Really? Is this all there is?” So when something – or someone – exceeds our expectations, when it truly provides more, then we can honestly say, “this is the best thing ever!”
The author of 2 Peter (I say that because most scholars agree it probably wasn’t written by Peter) talks about our having more grace and peace as we know Christ better, as we gain more and more knowledge of who God is and what God does.
The starting point for the author’s understanding is that we already have everything we need for life, and everything we need for living in God’s way, just in the simple knowledge of what Jesus has done for us. If you know the gospel story, you’ve got what you need to live a good life.
But what this passage reminds us is that there’s always more: more and deeper experiences of grace and peace that come from walking closely with Jesus over the course of a lifetime. God never runs out of things to show us.
For those who follow Jesus, there’s never a sense of “Is this all there is?” Instead, it’s always, “But wait! There’s more!”
By Joe Monahan
For Pondering & Prayer
Have you felt bored or stagnant in your faith lately? Sometimes, the problem is that we’re not putting ourselves in situations where we are encountering new dimensions of who God is. Maybe pick up a new spiritual book. Start a practice of meeting with a friend to pray and talk through faith questions. Finally say yes to leading a ministry in your church. Do anything that makes you feel like a novice or beginner. Put yourself in situations that are different, and see how God might surprise you!
Prayer: We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are full of surprises. When we feel like we already know all there is to know about you, or when we think we’ve experienced it all in serving you, remind us that there’s always more grace, and peace, and love to be found in following you, who have called us by your own honor and glory. Amen.
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