Doing Due Diligence
A Conversation on Faith, Effort, and Fruitfulness
2 Peter 1:1-11 Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Have you ever read a passage of Scripture, hit a specific word, and immediately felt your shoulders tense up?
That is exactly what happens to a lot of us when we read the words of the Apostle Peter. He tells us to “make every effort”. Immediately, a whole bunch of us hear two words ringing in our ears: WORK HARDER.
But is that what Peter is actually saying?
The Tension of the “Therefore”
Simeon[a] Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.This conversation is called Doing Due Diligence. Let’s start with the “therefore” for this week. Peter says:
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.” — 2 Peter 1:10
Before we talk about how, we need to talk about why. Because, as I said, a whole bunch of people listening just heard make every effort as “work harder.”
Calling & Election: It Starts with God
To understand the why, we have to look at what comes before that verse.
Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. — 2 Peter 1:1-4
If you look closely at that text, Peter first tells us that we have equal faith w/the apostle through Jesus’s righteousness. Wow. We are not less-than-Christians than the apostles. He said in our “therefore” verse to “confirm your calling.” Here he says this calling is entirely through His divine power. It is God initiating, empowering, and inviting us. It is not just by our effort, but through His power, through the knowledge of Him, and through the precious promises He has given us so we can share in His nature. It’s through this relationship He has given us everything we need.
This calling is fueled by God’s power, not your effort.
And then Peter uses the word election—meaning chosen. He’s building on what he already wrote in his first letter: “To the chosen exiles…” and “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood…”
Peter is saying: You are chosen—now live like chosen people. Live diligently.
That word diligent means a steady, intentional, wholehearted effort toward a God-given purpose. It is not passive, casual, or occasional—it is focused, persistent, and spiritually serious.
If diligence, or “Make every effort,” as Peter says, it is utilized through the knowledge of Christ who called us.
“Do These Things”: How Virtues Take Shape
So Peter says, “Do these things.” What things?
He gives us a whole list.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. — 2 Peter 1:5-7
Diligence means actively adding to your faith, not standing still.
What does that actually look like in day-to-day life?
1. Goodness - God’s morality activated in us
encompasses actions, intentions, and character that align with God's will and reflect His nature
2. Knowledge - God alone gives wisdom and asks us to add to our faith knowledge
a deep understanding and discernment of spiritual truths, moral principles, and the nature of God
3. Self-Control - saying no to self
the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in the face of temptations and impulses.
4. Endurance - gas station/fuels the other attributes
the ability to withstand hardship, adversity, or persecution with patience and perseverance.
5. Godliness destination - do what our Father does
a life that is devoted to the reverence and worship of God, encompassing both an inward devotion and an outward expression of that devotion through righteous living.
6. Brotherly Affection - we are on this road trip together
The disposition or inclination of one's heart and mind towards others, characterized by love, kindness, and a sense of duty to each other.
7. Love - Becoming like Him - the outcome
A fundamental characteristic of God's nature.
The point is to have these qualities actively working in our lives.
This next part is where Peter gets very practical—and honestly, very sobering.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. — 2 Peter 1:8-9
I notice Peter doesn’t say we have to possess them in perfect measure. He says increasing measure. It’s about direction, not perfection.
Diligence aims for direction, not perfection.
Exactly. Peter is saying a growing Christian is a fruitful Christian. Not a flawless Christian—a progressing one.
Church, where do you see growth happening in your life right now? Not perfection—growth.
This reminds me of habit stacking from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. You find something you already do and add to it. Lol, apparently James Clear didn’t come up with that cause Peter said it first. It’s a God truth.
And then Peter says something so strong: These qualities “keep you from being useless or unfruitful.”
That word “useless” means idle, inactive, coasting. It reminds me of last week when we talked about growing through what we go through. Peter is warning us: If we stop growing, we stop producing fruit.
A lack of diligence leads to spiritual blindness and drifting. Fruitlessness.
And fruit isn’t busyness. Fruit is Christlikeness. We have already been given everything for life and godliness.
Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
That is the second part of the psalm we read last week about the
The counsel of the ungodly
Standing in the path of sinners
Sitting in the seat of the scornful
—> which can lead us to suffering by our own actions.
This is the opposite or the contrast of that — it is a tree that is planted, fruiting, and prosperous.
And what is right between these two parts of Psalm 1 — verse 2:
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
Everything comes back to the manual for life.
I want us to get clear on something — Think about it:
What’s growing and what’s not?
because Peter gives us a warning: “The person who lacks these things (adding to faith - goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love) is blind and shortsighted…”
Where do you feel spiritually fruitful right now? And where do you feel stagnant?
Where can we go without gas, or who lets the blind guy drive?
One who is blind can’t see what God is doing—and they can’t see where they’re going.
PERSONAL STORY:
Yes. When I was on my vacation trip to Michigan—beautiful, by the way—we were heading to Sault Ste. Marie near the Canadian border. That morning before heading out, I felt the Holy Spirit give me some “waking words”: Act by way of 98.
So I looked up Acts 9:8
Acts 9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.
In pondering this, I thought about how those who cannot see have to be taken by the hand and led to their Damascus. If you looked up what Damascus means, it means “Safe Haven.” Damascus was a trading hub that acted as a gateway between the Roman Empire and the Arab world at the time, and it was the ultimate site of Saul’s spiritual transformation. (to me that was connecting because I was in a border town)
I could not sleep in this place. My spirit would not settle. I lay awake thinking of the door, “Is it locked?” and the window, "Is it shut?” I got up and put a chair in front of the door. I did every effort to feel safe. But I didn’t. Then I perceived this is spiritual. I began to pray, and bind the spirit and cast it out. I was able to rest.
When we stop growing, we lose spiritual clarity. We coast. We get lazy. We blindly follow the wrong things. We become reactive instead of responsive. Saul thought he was doing everything right, fighting against the Christians, then Jesus stopped him in his tracks and restored his vision to see what God was actually doing.
Where do you need God to restore your vision? What is the “spiritual opposition” in your life? Are you paying attention, or do you just think life is happening randomly at you? When will you be actively diligent in warring spiritually against it?
2 Peter 1:9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.
This is the root. Jesus, through His death, has cleansed us from our past sins, but we forget this. Peter is saying that spiritual forgetfulness leads to spiritual fruitlessness. When we forget the gospel, keeping our minds tethered to the truth of what Jesus has done, we stop growing. When we remember the gospel, we start growing again.
Diligence is the daily discipline of remembering the Gospel.
Jesus is the Lamb of God. He came in the flesh and died on the Cross for our sins
Jesus is the Lord. He is God and sinless, so He rose again.
Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. He ascended and sent His Spirit.
Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
What part of the gospel do you need to remember today?
Because this is a big deal. This is Peter’s exact point. As believers, we have been:
Washed by His blood
Forgiven by accepting His sacrifice
Made new through His Spirit
Released from guilt and shame - when I stand before Him one day
Now, make every effort.
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.
Because growth leads to fruitfulness, and forgetfulness leads to blindness. And the ultimate promise stands: “If you do these things, you will never stumble.”
never stumble….
not that we won’t suffer or endure hardship, but that we will mature into steady legs.
But we also have to remember - Right choices don’t always bring immediate results, and we will walk through hard things and be tested on our character.
Correct, but we endure through it… because the promise still stands.
2 Peter 1: 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
We endure through by the Lord’s divine power
Because the promise still stands.
This is a Heavenly Roadtrip
Questions for the Road
As you reflect on this conversation, take these four questions with you into your week:
Where do you see growth happening in your life right now? Remember, Peter emphasizes an increasing measure—it’s about direction, not perfection.
Where do you feel spiritually fruitful, and where do you feel stagnant? Consider whether you are filling your time with Kingdom fruitfulness or just everyday busyness.
Where do you need God to restore vision? If you feel like you are coasting or reacting blindly to life, ask God to give you spiritual clarity.
What part of the gospel do you need to remember today? Don’t let spiritual forgetfulness trip you up. Ground yourself in the truth that you are washed, forgiven, and made new.
Thanks for reading
“It’s about direction, not perfection”! ❤️ Great read!