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The admonition to “let me ne'er forget” is important: if we focus too much on the siren sounds of today’s crises, we might be discouraged from listening hopefully for the coming sound of the great trumpet.

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The subject of trials is the main focus of the first chapter of James. Trials can be beneficial in building character, and they are the common experience of us all, whether poor or rich. God can use trials for good in our lives, but He will never tempt us or entice us to sin. All good and perfect gifts come from Him, with whom there is no shadow of turning.

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Nothing is easier than blaming God amidst our greatest challenges.

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Whatever our trials, we are blessed if we persevere. To persevere is to continue on; to stand our ground as the storm rages around us. It is to resolutely refuse to give up, not matter how strong the temptation to do so.

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Amidst life’s most difficult trials (verses 2-4), it is easy to be unwise in facing them. As our faith is tested during such times, we might be tempted to veer from the path of faith, and even forsake it altogether. Giving up on God during the hard times is unwise, no matter how tempting the choice might be.

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God through Christ has supplied divine power for everything needed for life and godliness (verse 3), and so our priority is to diligently take the supplied Spirit resources and add them to our lifestyle. Beginning with faith in the truth we add moral character, experiential knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness.

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An important pathway to spiritual maturity is outlined in 2 Peter 1. We begin with faith in the faith (truth), to which we diligently supply moral character, then experiential knowledge, and then self-control.

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An important pathway to spiritual maturity is outlined in 2 Peter 1. We begin with faith in the truth, to which we diligently supply moral character, experiential knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness.

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Partnering with God to propagate His word is a sure-fire recipe for success. The analogy of the pervading effectiveness of snow and rain is given to illustrate the accomplishment of God's word; it simply cannot and will not fail..

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The first chapter of 2 Peter outlines some key building blocks for the life of a follower of Christ. Because God through Christ has supplied divine power for everything needed for life and godliness (verse 3), we take the supply off of the shelf, so to speak, and add it into our lifestyle.

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As those who have undergone the new birth in Christ, we have been given divine power for all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). This is a phenomenal promise, but effort must be made to put this great divine power to work in our lives. His power has been given to us, but it is imperative that we actively cooperate in order for it to be productive…