I love reading the Apostle Peter’s letters to the church. That big stubborn fisherman turned out pretty good once the Holy Spirit got hold of him.
I was reading his second letter to the church recently in the NIV. That is my version for this year. (When I read my Bible through each year I use a different version, that way I don’t get stuck in the “ruts” I tend to make in my Bibles.)
“For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:10b-11 NIV]
Those words “rich welcome” caught my attention. So I checked out a couple other versions of that passage. The NKJV says, “For if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The Holman Christian Standard Version translates it as, “Because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.”
The “these things” Peter was referring to are outlined in verses 5-7. They are character traits and attitudes that we should be adding to our faith, things like virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Still, it was those two little words, “rich welcome” that claimed my thoughts.
Our California family visited us recently. We waited all day on the day they were to arrive. We had not seen our one grandson for over a year as he went off to college. To see them drive up and get out of the car, holing their arms wide for a giant hug, I experienced a hint of the “rich welcome” our Savior has waiting for us when we enter into His Presence. Wow!
