All Things That Pertain To Life and Godliness

By Dale J. Babinsky
    Have you ever spent Christmas Eve feverishly trying to assemble that last gift? Perhaps you waited until the last moment thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal or difficult. It only required some assembly, after all. Then you notice that the instructions are not clearly written, and the diagrams are small and ambiguous as to which side of the frame the screws are supposed to be inserted. Don’t you wish that you had all that pertains to how to put this thing together?    God’s instructions for us are not like that. They are neither unclear, nor ambiguous. Peter tells us that God, through His magnificent ability and divine power, “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3 NKJV). He has given us all the things that we need in order to know how to live a godly life. He has left nothing to chance. He has given us no reason to wonder what it is that He wants. Through God’s written word, the Bible, mankind can have all the information and instruction necessary to live a life that pleases the Lord. We can read and understand what God wants us to know (Ephesians 3:3-5). We can understand the will of the Lord (Ephesians 5:17). We can have the knowledge of Him and His will so that, “you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).    Of course, many choose to ignore the instructions. Sometimes our pride gets in the way. I know how to put this thing together. Hours later, we begin to look for where we laid those instructions. When all else fails, consult the instructions. However, it would be better to start with the instructions so that we can arrive at the desired end. Our desired end ought to be heaven. Our desired end ought to be having a relationship with our Lord and Savior. We can say, “I don’t need the instructions, I know what I am doing,” but that path will not lead us to know God as He wants to be known. He has given us all things for living a godly life in His inspired words. Let us look to those basic instructions before leaving earth so that we will get to be where we want to go.

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/