The Apostle Peter wrote,"Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the one who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust" (2 Peter 1:3-4, The Message).

I love the way Peter emphasizes that everything we need to participate in Christ (i.e. to live a God-filled life) is given to us. How was it given to us?

Miraculously!

It is nothing short of a miracle that you and I have the opportunity to "know, personally and intimately, the one who invited us to God." Mankind didn't used to have that opportunity. After the fall, as we read in Genesis 3, intimacy with God was lost. But Christ won it back for us on the cross. We were separated from God by our sin, and brought near to him when Christ removed the barrier of sin once and for all. He didn't have to, you know.

So why did Christ do it? Because he wanted to "invite us to God." Not to religion. But to God, himself. If you've settled for religion (going through the motions), then not only are you completely missing the point, but you're missing out on "the best invitation you've ever received."

Christ not only invites you to a God-filled life, he's given you everything you need for it to happen. All you have to do now is receive, rely, respond and revisit. Those are four tools that help me to "participate in the life of God." Over the next few weeks I want to talk about those four tools.