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2 Peter 1:10-11   

In the first chapter of Peter’s second epistle, he instructs believers at least three times to make every effort. We can tell from his years as a disciple and an apostle, Peter knew that the life of a believer requires effort. This is despite the fact that he opened each letter with a prayer for God’s grace in abundance upon the believers. It has sometimes been thought that God’s grace is a replacement for willing and diligent effort on the part of the believer. Yet Paul, who would be wrongly quoted in this matter, puts grace in perspective when he tells Titus that “… the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions…” (Titus 2:11-12). Peter must have had a correct view of the grace that enables us to do what would be humanly difficult if not impossible including making every effort to do what God expects of us.

In this instance in our portion of reflection, Peter tells the believers in verse 10,  to make every effort to confirm their calling and election. He is seen here to challenge the Christians to prove that they are really Christians by what they believe and how they live. There are two reasons seen here for confirming one’s calling and election.

1. Confirming one’s calling and election keeps them from stumbling. A lot of times when we think of stumbling, we look for reasons outside of ourselves. What Peter is seen to be pointing out here is that as long as we are sure of the fact that we are called by God to belong to Him and fulfill His purposes, we are able to maintain a firm walk in Him as we make every effort to be more and more like Him. If and when we are not sure, the opposite happens, we stumble in our walk of faith. Peter appears to have been speaking here from experience. He knew full well what it meant to stumble in his betrayal of Christ. It appears clear to him now why it is he who stumbled to the point of betraying his Master, even to going back fishing. He had not confirmed His calling and election. Confirming our calling and election entails what Peter points out in verses 5-8; “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive”
2. The second reason we see for confirming our calling and election is that we’ll receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (v 11).  You can tell that Peter is substituting worldly values with godly ones. One of the common phrases we have today is ‘what’s in it for me?’. Peter is telling us that what is in it for us is having an eternal inheritance with Christ, a reason that is worth living for and dying for. When we know that we know that we are called and elected by God we fully appreciate that we belong to Him eternally.