How are things with you and God? Where do find yourself in the "RELIGIOUS" world of following Jesus Christ? Are you always frustrated because nothing seems to work for you like it does other people; though you are doing what you believe is the right things toward God? Do you have a mountain of questions that never get answered, no matter how much you go to church or read in the Bible? This is the reality of most people concerning God and church.
There are many beliefs people have concerning God and church. These beliefs have made their way into church practices, becoming doctrines that churches teach as truths, while leaving out what really is truth. A family may be one that always attends church together, prays before meals, has Bible Readings, and spends time praying together. Yet still, they find nothing seems to work for them as they become disillusioned in their faith. No matter what they do they get nothing out of religion or church, and God's blessings seem to never come. The problem is we must learn the difference between God's revelation of himself and what he wants us to do from that of the traditions people have made and taught through the centuries. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). His blessings will come to those who chose to follow his revelation.
I worked for years as a minister before I learned that it did not matter what I understood as being religious if what I was doing was not the way God wanted things to be done. I learned that God has his revelation of who he is, how he wants things done, and unless I did things that way, it seemed I was just running in circles. Just because things are done by churches and through ministries does not mean they are the way God wants it to be done. In 2nd Peter 1:3 the Bible tells us: "As his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." This teaches me that God has provided everything we need to be like he wants us to be in life. He has revealed who he is and how we are to respond to him. The more we learn about his revelation of himself, the more we are able to do things that will truly work for our good and bring God's blessings in our lives.
It is God's desire that we be like him by taking on his nature. 2nd Peter 1:4 continues to tell us that God has promised us things so that we may be "partakers of the divine nature". Traits of his divine nature are further explained in verses 5, 6, and 7 of this passage. Then in 2nd Peter 1:8 the Apostle Peter tells us these things are ours so that we will "abound" and not be "barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." The revelation that God has given in the Bible helps us to learn what we need to know in order to live in this life and take on the nature of God.