Ken Lovelace Ministries


Click here to send a Prayer Request using the Contact Us form. F a i t h M a t t e r s with Dr. Ken Lovelace Week of July 21, 2008 Emphasis: Productive *Spiritual Progression* The well-known author, James Michener, carried a memory that inspired him to continue being a productive writer even in his old age. When he was five years old, a neighboring farmer drove eight nails into the trunk of an aging, unproductive apple tree. The following autumn, that tired old tree produced a bumper crop of delicious apples. Little Michener asked the farmer how this “miracle” occurred. The farmer explained, “Hammering in the rusty nails gave it a shock to remind it that its job is to produce apples.” Like that old apple tree, there are times in our lives when we need a good jolt to get us back on course and to make us productive believers once again.1 Last week we looked at a couple of verses together that Peter had written about the fact that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. After that amazing verse, he begins a paragraph of great importance for any of us who may ever wonder whether or not we are ineffective or unproductive. To feel productive and to be effective is a matter of great importance. It’s akin to Jesus’ discourse on bearing fruit in John 15, except Peter’s approach is from a different perspective. Consider what he wrote in 2 Peter 1:5-9: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” Peter began by delineating the believer’s spiritual progression of adding one quality to another in the process of maturing in Christ. Notice that he says not only that these should characterize our lives, but also that they should do so in increasing measure. So, in order to be effective and productive, our lives must be marked by these qualities and these qualities must be ever increasing. But in what should we not be ineffective and unproductive? Observe what Peter wrote: “in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As I wrote last time, this is a phrase that refers to our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus. Again, God is relational and He’s bent on our relationship with Him being ever deepening. Jesus talked of the relationship as being effective and productive only if we abide in Him. Again, it’s all about relationship. If we abide in Him, these qualities will be ever increasing and our priority will be God-directed -- to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. As you spend time with the Father today, pray that we will not be ineffective or unproductive, but rather will work on the most important relationship of life (to abide in Him) and the most important priority in life (to seek first the kingdom of God). Ask God to help us to see the spiritual progress we need to be making and to choose to cooperate with His Spirit in the great work of being conformed to the image of His Son. Before we can change the world, we have to be changed first. ___________ 1 Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1993, p. 25. Copyright © 2008. Faith Matters by Dr. Ken Lovelace. All rights reserved. LPSFM081307_072108 F a i t h M a t t e r s with Dr. Ken Lovelace Week of July 14, 2008 Emphasis: Knowledge *Our Knowledge of Him* Peter was a great guy even though he was often considered to have a terrible case of foot-in-mouth disease. This was especially true in his early years of following Jesus. The primary problem was that he spoke his mind. One never wondered where they stood with Peter; he told it like it was. He turned out to be a great leader and apostle. Consistent with his character, so in his writings he told it like it was. He was transparent…and bluntly honest. Knowing these facts about Peter helps us to better appreciate 2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” Isn’t that an amazing verse? There are several truths to which we must pay careful attention. First, the opening phrase: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Peter boldly proclaims in Christ, there is abundance for every need we could possibly have in both the physical and spiritual realms. There is no shortage in Jesus; no holes in His provision. Every need is met in Christ Jesus because of His divine power. In Matthew 28, Jesus said that all power had been given unto Him. Sometimes we forget that and allow circumstances to leave us declaring, “I’m at the end of my rope!” It’s a cry of both desperation and frustration. In times like these it’s good to remember that God lives at the end of our rope. In fact, oftentimes we must get to the end of what we can do before we are willing to step aside to see what God can do. He can meet every need in our lives; and thankfully, being our provider is what He wants to be! 1 Second, all of Him is made available to us “through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” This knowledge began when we first heard the gospel. When we first understood that we were sinners and that Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for our redemption, that little bit of knowledge was so great and wonderful and exciting and overwhelming that it radically changed our lives. And then our knowledge of Him began to grow and it became apparent to us that, though the little knowledge we had was so great and powerful that it transformed our lives, it was but the tip of an iceberg of the knowledge of Him that would take an eternity to learn. If there’s that much power in just the tip of the knowledge we’ve experienced, how much more must there be in that which we’ve yet to discover. So, it began with our salvation, but in no time, this knowledge of Him grew into a relationship with God. This relationship forms a conduit through which God Himself becomes our sufficiency. When we’re close to God, the conduit is clear and unrestricted and God’s provision flows unhindered into our lives. When we stray from God, the conduit can become clogged by our doubts, fears, and lack of faith; and the provisions that once flowed unimpeded are hindered by the sins in our lives. Since the Bible says that God has given us everything we need for both life (daily living) and godliness (living victoriously in Him), consider whether or not you’re experiencing what Peter would classify as the normal Christian life. If you’re not experiencing the abundance of God’s provision for your every need (not every want), then take a moment to ask the Lord to pinpoint the problem(s) in your heart. Perhaps there are unconfessed sins or bad attitudes…or both. Renewing a right relationship with Him not only makes things right with our Father, but also results in unclogging the conduit of His provision, freeing Him to flood our lives with the good things of God. Don’t neglect Him today; He’s patiently waiting, and longing, to spend time with the child He loves; to spend time with you! Copyright © 2008. Faith Matters by Dr. Ken Lovelace. All rights reserved. LPSFM 081007_071408

F a i t h M a t t e r s
with Dr. Ken Lovelace
Week of July 21, 2008
Emphasis: Productive

Spiritual Progression

The well-known author, James Michener, carried a memory that inspired him to continue being a productive writer even in his old age. When he was five years old, a neighboring farmer drove eight nails into the trunk of an aging, unproductive apple tree. The following autumn, that tired old tree produced a bumper crop of delicious apples.

Little Michener asked the farmer how this “miracle” occurred. The farmer explained, “Hammering in the rusty nails gave it a shock to remind it that its job is to produce apples.” Like that old apple tree, there are times in our lives when we need a good jolt to get us back on course and to make us productive believers once again.1

Last week we looked at a couple of verses together that Peter had written about the fact that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. After that amazing verse, he begins a paragraph of great importance for any of us who may ever wonder whether or not we are ineffective or unproductive. To feel productive and to be effective is a matter of great importance. It’s akin to Jesus’ discourse on bearing fruit in John 15, except Peter’s approach is from a different perspective.

Consider what he wrote in 2 Peter 1:5-9: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”

Peter began by delineating the believer’s spiritual progression of adding one quality to another in the process of maturing in Christ. Notice that he says not only that these should characterize our lives, but also that they should do so in increasing measure. So, in order to be effective and productive, our lives must be marked by these qualities and these qualities must be ever increasing.

But in what should we not be ineffective and unproductive? Observe what Peter wrote: “in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As I wrote last time, this is a phrase that refers to our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus. Again, God is relational and He’s bent on our relationship with Him being ever deepening. Jesus talked of the relationship as being effective and productive only if we abide in Him. Again, it’s all about relationship. If we abide in Him, these qualities will be ever increasing and our priority will be God-directed -- to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

As you spend time with the Father today, pray that we will not be ineffective or unproductive, but rather will work on the most important relationship of life (to abide in Him) and the most important priority in life (to seek first the kingdom of God). Ask God to help us to see the spiritual progress we need to be making and to choose to cooperate with His Spirit in the great work of being conformed to the image of His Son. Before we can change the world, we have to be changed first.

___________
1 Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1993, p. 25.

Copyright © 2008. Faith Matters by Dr. Ken Lovelace. All rights reserved.

LPSFM081307_072108

F a i t h M a t t e r s
with Dr. Ken Lovelace
Week of July 14, 2008
Emphasis: Knowledge

Our Knowledge of Him

Peter was a great guy even though he was often considered to have a terrible case of foot-in-mouth disease. This was especially true in his early years of following Jesus. The primary problem was that he spoke his mind. One never wondered where they stood with Peter; he told it like it was. He turned out to be a great leader and apostle. Consistent with his character, so in his writings he told it like it was. He was transparent…and bluntly honest.

Knowing these facts about Peter helps us to better appreciate 2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

Isn’t that an amazing verse? There are several truths to which we must pay careful attention. First, the opening phrase: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Peter boldly proclaims in Christ, there is abundance for every need we could possibly have in both the physical and spiritual realms. There is no shortage in Jesus; no holes in His provision. Every need is met in Christ Jesus because of His divine power.

In Matthew 28, Jesus said that all power had been given unto Him. Sometimes we forget that and allow circumstances to leave us declaring, “I’m at the end of my rope!” It’s a cry of both desperation and frustration. In times like these it’s good to remember that God lives at the end of our rope. In fact, oftentimes we must get to the end of what we can do before we are willing to step aside to see what God can do. He can meet every need in our lives; and thankfully, being our provider is what He wants to be! 1

Second, all of Him is made available to us “through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” This knowledge began when we first heard the gospel. When we first understood that we were sinners and that Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for our redemption, that little bit of knowledge was so great and wonderful and exciting and overwhelming that it radically changed our lives. And then our knowledge of Him began to grow and it became apparent to us that, though the little knowledge we had was so great and powerful that it transformed our lives, it was but the tip of an iceberg of the knowledge of Him that would take an eternity to learn. If there’s that much power in just the tip of the knowledge we’ve experienced, how much more must there be in that which we’ve yet to discover.

So, it began with our salvation, but in no time, this knowledge of Him grew into a relationship with God. This relationship forms a conduit through which God Himself becomes our sufficiency. When we’re close to God, the conduit is clear and unrestricted and God’s provision flows unhindered into our lives. When we stray from God, the conduit can become clogged by our doubts, fears, and lack of faith; and the provisions that once flowed unimpeded are hindered by the sins in our lives.

Since the Bible says that God has given us everything we need for both life (daily living) and godliness (living victoriously in Him), consider whether or not you’re experiencing what Peter would classify as the normal Christian life. If you’re not experiencing the abundance of God’s provision for your every need (not every want), then take a moment to ask the Lord to pinpoint the problem(s) in your heart. Perhaps there are unconfessed sins or bad attitudes…or both. Renewing a right relationship with Him not only makes things right with our Father, but also results in unclogging the conduit of His provision, freeing Him to flood our lives with the good things of God. Don’t neglect Him today; He’s patiently waiting, and longing, to spend time with the child He loves; to spend time with you!

Copyright © 2008. Faith Matters by Dr. Ken Lovelace. All rights reserved.

LPSFM 081007_071408