Apples In The Kitchen

Let's say that you have two apples in your hand and there are seven apples inside the your house in the kitchen. The house is being painted and you can't get into the kitchen right now.

How many apples do you have? Do you have two or nine?

You can eat the two apples now. You can give both apples away. Those two apples are accessible and you have the hope of seven more.

God's promises are like those apples. We have some things now and we will have other things later but our decisions can be based on what we will have later by faith.

"For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." - 1 Corinthians 15:16-19 ESV

If Jesus died and is gone forever we only have two apples. Theft and abuse become viable options because we will starve unless we get more apples. Hope is only based on our 'apple getting' abilities.

"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:1-8 ESV

Peter saw the 'apples in the kitchen' and lived an excellent life. God's 'precious promises' opened up a world to Him where there were apples waiting around every corner.

We can live this way and we will never be hungry for very long.

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