Introduction

She climbed onto the bicycle at the end of the path. We had removed her training wheels and had practiced for two days. At first, I held onto the bike and walked with her as she pedaled (she shrieked with fear if my hands ever left). In the next stage, I gave her a push, and that initial momentum kept her upright long enough to make the short ride to her mom, who was waiting to catch her. Then, I just held the bike for her to climb on, but she had to push off for herself. Finally, she was ready to go solo.

The trickiest part of learning to ride a bike, of course, is learning to balance on those two wheels. When you climb onto a bike for the first time, it leans, it wobbles, and then tips over. We soon learn that the only one way to get stable on a bicycle is to start pedaling immediately. As soon as you get in motion, the bike balances, and a fun ride begins! But you cannot sit still; you must go forward.

This is the message of the powerful little letter of 2 Peter, one of the New Testament's most overlooked gems for Christian living. Among other wonderful truths, Peter shares with us the powerful insight that there is only one way for Christian believers to maintain their spiritual stability: they have to keep moving forward. Peter's final words provide the key to the whole study: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (3:18)." From start to finish, Peter will be "stirring us up (one of his favorite metaphors)." He will not allow us to remain satisfied with the faith we received at salvation, but urges us to supplement that saving faith with all the qualities of Christlikeness. Leaning on God's divine power, we are to "be all the more diligent" to consistently pursue the things of God. This is the way, he says, that we keep our feet steady on the way of life, all the way home to the eternal Kingdom of Jesus.

I have loved Peter's second epistle for a long time now. I first worked my way through it as a college student, teaching a Sunday school class at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. In the almost twenty years since then, I have preached through it two other times. My appreciation for it has continued to grow, and I hope that by God's grace that I am understanding and applying its message more thoroughly in my life. But I am always building on the foundation of that first, exciting trip through these three chapters with a room full of my peers in the Old English Inn.

I dedicate this study to my pastor from those early days, Dr. Phil Jett, and his wife, Karen. Some years after our time together at Englewood, Dr. Jett returned to my life as an important mentor and friend. He and Karen have generously encouraged me in many ways over the years, not least by always reading these little Dove Press devotional books. I think of Dr. Jett every Sunday that I stand behind the pulpit at Sharon Baptist Church, because he had it made for me when I came here as pastor in 2013. Just this past December, he made his own "rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1:11)." I trust that he has already spoken with Peter; I look forward to catching up with them both one day soon.

In the meantime, we have some pedaling to do!

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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church