Always Be Reminding

Back when Faye and I were dating, we were talking over FaceTime, and we were talking about a friend of mine who was trying to ask a girl out but didn’t know how. Faye said, “Well, you should talk, you gave me your business card.” I said, “No I didn’t.” She said, “Yes you did.” I said, “No, I would never do that, and I would never tell anyone to do that.” She reached over, and started shuffling around in a drawer, and her hand emerged with the card — 2 inches tall, 3.5 inches wide. Just my email address, no phone number, and my title: “Executive Assistant to John Piper.” I stared in disbelief.

I thought of that story this week, as I read 2 Peter 1, because it reminds me of just how forgetful we can be. It took a lot of courage to hand the girl I liked my business card — this was a big moment for me — and yet I had completely, completely forgot it a year later. I thought about that as I read 2 Peter 1. Peter writes, 

“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 1:5-8).

He’s reminding them of these qualities — these callings God has given them in Christ. And then he says, “Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.” You know them and you’re established in them (I’ve seen them in your life), and yet I’m always going to remind you of them — why? Because we’re all so prone to forget. We’re always in need of reminding — of who God is, of who we are in Christ, of what he’s called us to be and do in this life. I’m always in need of reminding.

I chose this passage for our exhortation, though, because of verse 15, “And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” I want to live this way. I hope you do. He says, I make every effort, so that when I’m gone — when I’m not in your life anymore — you’ll be able to remember, at any time, to do the most important things (to practice faith, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection). I want to live in a way, Peter is saying, that when I’m gone, you won’t be able to forget what I’ve showed you in this book.

So, my exhortation for us this morning, Cities Church, is that we always be reminding one another to grow in these qualities, to grow in Christlikeness. We all always need to be reminded, and we all always need to be reminding.