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Daily Devotions

2 Peter

2 Peter 
Day 
Day 8

"Neither barren nor unfruitful"

Text: 2 Peter 1:8

A FRUITFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Lord Jesus taught His disciples how they may be fruitful in their faith and life. Nobody wants to live a life that is unfruitful. Peter’s word of encouragement was to cultivate faith and life carefully. We can then be assured that we need not fear being barren!

“For if these things are yours and abound,
you will be neither barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:8

1. “For if these things are yours and abound”

a) Make these qualities our own:

i) To make these qualities ours, let us remember that God’s power is available to us.

ii) He has given us great and precious promises.

iii) It is not impossible to cultivate these qualities.

b) “And abound”

i) The word “abound” describes something that increases.

ii) These qualities can start at a “basic” level.

iii) It is capable of increasing to even greater propensity.

2. “You will be neither barren nor unfruitful”

a) The word “barren”

i) The word “barren” is related to the word “work”.

ii) It describes a person who is idle and does no work.

iii) The result of not working is to become “barren”.

b) The word “unfruitful”

i) It is related to what the Lord Jesus taught about bearing fruit (John 15).

ii) The branch that abides in Him will be fruitful for the power comes from Him.

iii) To be unfruitful suggests that the branch is not abiding in Christ.

c) “Neither barren nor unfruitful”

i) The genuine believer will always desire to work hard for the Lord.

ii) He would bear fruit because he has learned to abide in Christ.

3. “In the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”

a) All that Peter has written may be traced to the teachings of the Lord Jesus.

b) Peter may have had a hard time learning when he was a disciple.

c) But he sought to grow and he did well in his faith and life.

d) Knowledge plays a significant role:

i) Grace and peace may be multiplied in the knowledge of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:2).

ii) Life and godliness would be real through knowledge (2 Peter 1:3).

iii) Knowledge is to be added even as we cultivate virtues (2 Peter 1:5).

iv) Knowledge of the Lord would ensure fruitfulness (2 Peter 1:8).