¹⁰Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

Diligence rises to the highest level in the Christian walk, as Peter circles back to where he began in verse 5, “. . . applying all diligence, in your faith . . .” The lexicons interpret this word as “to proceed quickly, expedite, to be conscientious in discharging an obligation.” The seven traits or efforts that we are to pursue are not casual things to be worked on in our leisure when we get around to working on them. These are not just seven of many goals or objectives in our lives. This pattern of life should be our top priority. The Christian life is a pursuit, not a lifestyle. It is not just gaining knowledge, but an endeavor to continually live a changed life, a spiritual growth. No matter how long a person might have been a Christian, he or she still needs to grow with the same intense training as when it all began.

Now, undergirding the pursuit of the seven character traits is a firm confidence that we have been called and chosen by God. True, there is a sense that we call on God (see, for example, Rom. 10:13) and that we make a choice to receive Him (John 1:12). The human element certainly comes into play, but it is not the ultimate factor, and it is not sufficient to give us confidence. In other words, Peter is not trying to drum up our self-confidence as though our certainty is based on our choosing God. No, our calling and election come from God. Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose Me but I chose you . . .” (John 15:16, see also Eph. 1:4, Col. 3:12, 1 Thess. 1:4, 2 Thess. 2:13, 2 Tim. 2:10). Our confidence will waver if it is built on what we have done. Faith teaches us that our assurance is in what God has done, not in what we have done. This is what we are to pursue, the full understanding and appreciation of our security in Him.

We are talking here of reality, not just mind games of saying theological truths. The more we focus on knowing the desire and decisiveness of God in calling us and choosing us, the more we are motivated to pursue the Christian life in its fullness. To avoid stumbling in our faith is not a passive effort but a positive pursuit of being embraced by God, that is, fully entering into the knowledge of His calling and choosing us. This is the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10, and as we pursue truth at this level, God will supply abundant life. In fact, He eagerly awaits our entry into that kind of kingdom living!

Lord, I rest and relish in this truth: You wanted me and You chose me!