The Divine Engine

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My dad behind the wheel of a classic car -- that 
he could not drive. But he did look good! 



Scripture:


2Pet. 1:3   His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 


Observation:


These two verses are the divine engine of the Christian life. This is the secret to the power necessary to live the for the Lord. It is Jesus’ divine power in us, that provides everything necessary for us to live the holy life. That holy life means that we can live like Christ — and this, through divine knowledge of him. This isn’t because we study books, but because we are invited into an intimate relationship with the Triune God through Jesus’ own glory and goodness. 


The result is that Jesus has given us an incredible promise so that we can live the holy life, and live free from the corruption of the world. Yes, this is possible, even now. The world is corrupted because of lust — because of desires that are not from God. The corruption of the world leads to evil desires and actions, but we do not have to give in and act in this way. This final statement packs a powerful punch because we are now invited to become participants, or as some translations say, partakers, of the divine nature. This is a deeply intimate relationship with God where we do not become God by nature, but through the Holy Spirit, we are able to fellowship in deep communion with God, and this transforms the way in which we live our lives. 


Application:


Imagine how odd it would be to go and look at a beautiful car but discover that it had no engine. While it might look nice, it would be useless, for it couldn’t go anywhere. It would not be able to serve the purpose for which it had been created — which was to provide transportation. 


Now, transpose that to the Christian life. What if we spend a lot of time looking good on the outside, but there is no divine engine on the inside? We can put all kinds of nice Christian sayings on the walls of our home, but still not really know Christ. We can go to church on Sundays and make sure our kids go to youth group, but never open or study our Bible. We can become morally outraged at things in the world, but not be filled to overflowing with the love of Christ. In other words, we can try to look like a Christian on the outside, but if we don’t have the divine engine on the inside, we really aren’t a Christian, just like a car without and engine isn’t really a car. Neither can fulfill the purpose for which they have been created.


We have been created to bear the image of God in our lives. Christ made that possible through his life, death, resurrection and sending of the Holy Spirit. It’s every moment in the life of Christ that leads us on a pathway that makes transformation into his image possible. Fellowship, or participation with the Triune God is like entering the holy of holies and it is in that place that we are filled with divine energies that will drive our Christian life. When we speak of holiness we are speaking about this deeply intimate walk with Christ that is available for all. It is the Christian life that is not just pretty on the outside, but that is energized from the very depth of a relationship with God that is beyond our understanding. 


Charles Wesley was so filled with the Spirit that he had to sing about it. The songs flowed from this deeply intimate relationship:


O for a heart to praise my God

A heart from sin set free.

A heart that always feels the blood

So freely shed for me.


A heart in every thought renewed

And full of love divine.

Perfect, and right, and pure, and good

A copy, Lord, of thine. 


We need the divine engine — a heart filled with love divine — and this divine power will help us in every moment, and every step of life. 


Prayer:


Lord, today I want to rest in your divine presence and leading. May the distractions fade into the distance as I see and hear you. Amen. 

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