“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

(2 Peter 1:3–11 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version)

Sometimes, I don’t think I’ve got what I need, in order to do what I need to do.

Take, for example, writing a blog post.  I am much better at being creative early in the day.  But the day got away from me today.  I wasn’t frittering my time away. Still, my brain shut down before my day did.  So, if this post seems a bit thin, please have mercy.  I am like Cinderella’s coach: I turn into a pumpkin.  And I don’t even wait for the clock to strike midnight.  And if you think the post is good, . . . well, God is a God of miracles.  And maybe the post is an example of the very thing Peter is saying to his original readers, and to us.

Peter tells the people to whom he is writing—and, indeed, all of us—that God has given us everything we need to do what we really need to do.

And what do they, what do I, need to do?  We need life and godliness.  Life without godliness is only half a life.  And godliness without life is like a body without breath—in other words, a corpse.

There are a couple of interesting things about verse 3 in the original Greek.  First, the phrase “all things” leads off the verse after a connecting word.  Greek word order is flexible, so the words “all things” may be placed first because Peter wants to emphasize those words.

Second, the verb translated “has granted” is in the perfect tense.  So what, you say?  So, the perfect tense in Greek usually contains two ideas.  The perfect tense usually connotes an action that has been completed in the past.  In other words, Peter is telling the believers that they already have been given everything they need for life and godliness.

The other idea that the perfect tense expresses is that this action that has been completed in the past has ongoing consequences.  So Peter is telling the believers that they have already been given everything they need for life and godliness, and that this gift has ongoing consequences in their lives.

But apparently, this already-given and on-going gift does not automatically make our lives rich and meaningful.  There is something we must do as well.

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In the Greek, to “. . . make every effort . . .” has a number of possible nuances.  It can mean “hurry, haste, speed, zeal, pursuit, and exertion.  It can even mean “study.”

The grace and gifts of God do not put us on easy street, just on the right road.  And, of course, roads (like Nancy Sinatra’s boots) are made for walkin’.