Supplement a Forgotten Call

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective and 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.” (2 Peter 1:8-9)

Whenever we settle into a personal vision that is less than the divine call, our faith becomes dormant. We grow tired of reaching for God’s resources and start pulling from the lower shelf. In the compromise, we shrink into the image of our surroundings.

When faith fades through inactivity, so does our memory of the call. We forget what God was after: nothing less than Christ’s own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3)—a life of ever-expanding abundance in a world wasting away.

When your faith stays still, it shrinks.

Into the fading and forgetting, God sends a plague or a prophet to “stir you up by way of reminder” (2 Peter 1:13)—to shake you out of your compromise. Though you may accept the death of the call, the One who called cannot. Like Moses, he seeks you out in hiding. He lights your settled surroundings on fire. And despite your protests, he tells you to go right back to the very place from which you’ve been running.

"His divine power has granted to us all things ..." (2 Peter 1:3)

You have a high call. But you also have all the help you need. God has granted you his divine power. He has laid out his precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). And above all, he has given you the gift of knowing him (2 Peter 1:3). You reach high for where Abba stands, not as an earthly imposter, but as a confident child.

“For this reason, make every effort to supplement your faith …” (2 Peter 1:5)

The Father has all resources you need.

But you have to reach. You have to “make every effort” to supplement your faith. Virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love don’t just happen. These “qualities are yours” when you put in the work (2 Peter 1:8, 10).

And as the qualities return, you start to sense the calling again.

An inactive faith makes you forget. A moving faith helps you remember.

“Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.” (2 Peter 1:10)

The Scriptures will not lower the bar. God gives you power but not a pass. He has called, and you must confirm. Though we’d rather settle in the mediocrity of Midian, God has a better story for us. He points toward the higher life we’ve neglected and the Helper we’ve forgotten: 

“Go, and I will be with you …" (Exodus 4:12)