Living for God's Glory: The Other Six Days

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Charcoal Fire That Redeems Memory

When Jesus rebuilt Peter’s identity, He didn’t erase the past but rewrote its meaning. The smell of a charcoal fire once marked Peter’s denial, but after breakfast on the beach, it became a reminder of grace. Restoration often happens in the same spaces where shame once thrived. Jesus meets us in our triggers and transforms them into testimonies. His forgiveness doesn’t ignore failure—it redeems it. [36:26]

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’… He said, ‘Feed my sheep.’” (John 21:15–17, NIV)

Reflection: What “charcoal fire” in your life—a place or memory tied to failure—might Jesus want to reclaim as a site of restoration? How would embracing His forgiveness shift your view of that moment?

Day 2: Divine Power for the Other Six Days

God’s promises aren’t theoretical. Peter insists divine power fuels everyday faithfulness, not just Sunday worship. This power isn’t a spiritual adrenaline rush but a sustained current for workdays, errands, and relational grit. It’s the energy to choose kindness when tired, integrity when compromised, and hope when cynicism beckons. The same Spirit that resurrected Christ dwells in dishwashers and deadlines. [18:00]

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV)

Reflection: Where does daily life feel most disconnected from God’s power? What mundane moment this week could become a “spiritual act of worship” through reliance on Him?

Day 3: The Grocery List of Grace

Faith isn’t a static pose but a muscle group. Peter’s list—goodness, knowledge, self-control—reads like a spiritual workout plan. These qualities aren’t earned but exercised through small, habitual choices. Growth happens in the “increasing measure,” not the instant leap. A single act of patience won’t sanctify you, but ten thousand might. [29:05]

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control…” (2 Peter 1:5–6, NIV)

Reflection: Which “muscle” from Peter’s list feels weakest in you today? What tiny, concrete step could strengthen it before sunset?

Day 4: Nearsightedness and the Forgotten Bath

Forgetting our cleansing leads to fumbling our calling. Peter warns that spiritual amnesia—downplaying forgiveness—blinds us to God’s current work. Like a swimmer ignoring their clean towel, we keep diving back into shame’s murky waters. Remembering our baptism isn’t morbid guilt; it’s freedom to walk dry and confident. [32:07]

“But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:9, NIV)

Reflection: What old failure still feels “unwashed” to you? How might declaring “I am cleansed” aloud disrupt that lie today?

Day 5: Labels vs. the Name Only Jesus Knows

Identity isn’t found in achievements or failures but in the quiet name God speaks over us. Peter moved from “The Denier” to “The Rock” not by self-improvement but by letting Jesus redefine him. Our pasts aren’t ceilings—they’re launchpads for stories only grace can write. [44:19]

“To the one who is victorious… I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17, NIV)

Reflection: What label (good or bad) have you let define you? How might focusing on being “God’s child” shift your choices today?

Sermon Summary

Second Peter 1:3-9 takes the “other six days” and refuses to let them sit outside the spiritual life. God wants the whole thing, the full 365, 24/7 life, not just a Sunday morning slice. Peter says God’s divine power has given everything needed for a godly life, which means the life of faith is resourced before it is commanded. God initiates, God calls, God gives promises, and God does it by his own glory and goodness, not by someone finally getting good enough to qualify.

Peter’s word “knowledge” is not just data points, not a Wikipedia kind of thing, not just an awareness that God exists. Knowledge means an engaged, relational experience with the God embodied in Jesus. Christ does not hand out bumper sticker promises or little phrases to repeat until they feel true. Christ embodies what he promises, and his divine power gives a way to escape the corrupt patterns and destructive desires of the world.

Peter then says, “make every effort,” and that matters. Grace is not a self-help project, but grace does call for participation. The follower of Jesus does not make effort to earn God’s mercy, but makes effort because God’s mercy has already opened the way. Faith grows into goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love, and Peter says these qualities are meant to increase. That word “increasing” carries hope, because maturity is still possible as long as breath remains.

Peter also warns that the one who lacks these qualities has become nearsighted and blind, forgetting cleansing from past sins. That warning lands with weight because Peter knew failure from the inside. Peter confessed Jesus as Messiah, sank in the water, swung a sword, denied Jesus three times, and still ran into the empty tomb. Peter knew what shame can do, how the enemy tries to build a ceiling out of the past and say, “God can help that other person, but not this one.”

Christ’s restoration of Peter at the charcoal fire becomes the living picture of grace. The same kind of fire that carried the smell of denial becomes the place where Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” and restores Peter in front of others. Jesus does not interrogate Peter, act vindictive, or pin him to failure. Jesus restores him. God’s grace gives a new identity, a new purpose, and a new belonging, so the past does not get the final word. God’s glory and goodness change how life is lived, and living for his glory turns out, somehow, to be for good.

Key Takeaways

1. God resources the whole life [18:40] God’s divine power gives everything needed for a godly life before any effort is named. The life of faith is not sustained by religious adrenaline or personal grit. God calls by his own glory and goodness, which means the foundation is not human achievement but divine generosity. A disciple’s ordinary days are not less spiritual territory, because God intends to work in and through the whole life. [18:40]
2. Grace still calls for effort [24:40] Peter’s “make every effort” is not a ladder for earning mercy. Effort becomes participation in what God has already made possible through Christ. The danger is not that grace asks too much, but that distraction trains a person to drift without noticing. Spiritual growth requires attention because the patterns of the world are always calling for time, energy, imagination, and desire. [24:40]
3. Growth comes in increasing measure [29:05] Peter’s phrase “in increasing measure” gives hope to unfinished people. Faith, goodness, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love are not instant personality upgrades. These qualities grow as the Spirit keeps forming a person over time, often through weakness, pressure, and the ordinary grind of life. Maturity is not perfection overnight, but a deepening openness to God’s continuing work. [29:05]
4. Restoration answers the charcoal fire [38:20] The charcoal fire takes Peter back to the smell of denial, but Jesus makes that same place a site of restoration. Christ does not erase the memory by pretending failure never happened. Christ redeems the memory by meeting Peter there with mercy that is stronger than shame. Grace can touch even the triggers that once carried accusation and turn them into reminders of forgiveness. [38:20]
5. No past owns God’s child [45:58] Romans 8 declares no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, and that promise cuts through the enemy’s accusations. The past may be real, painful, shameful, or shaped by another person’s harm, but it is not the deepest name of God’s child. Christ gives identity, purpose, and belonging that no failure and no oppressor has authority to define. Forgiveness does not skim over sin or suffering, because the cross tells the truth while still making restoration possible.

## [45:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[12:14] - Pack to School Partnership
[13:55] - The Other Six Days
[15:16] - Lives as Physical Worship
[17:25] - Peter Opens the Text
[18:40] - Divine Power for Godly Life
[19:51] - Knowledge as Relationship
[21:39] - Called by His Goodness
[24:40] - Make Every Effort
[29:05] - Increasing Measure of Growth
[32:07] - Peter’s Past and Blindness
[36:26] - Breakfast at the Beach
[38:20] - The Charcoal Fire Restored
[45:58] - No Condemnation in Christ
[49:26] - Amazing Grace and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

2 Peter 1:3-9
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, 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. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” [17:17]

Romans 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” [45:54]

John 21:15-19
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.’ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” [38:45]

Observation questions

In 2 Peter 1:3-9, what does Peter say God has already given, and what does Peter then tell believers to make every effort to grow in? [25:06]
What words or phrases in 2 Peter 1:3-9 show that God starts the work before believers respond with effort? [21:39]
In John 21:15-19, what does Jesus ask Peter three times, and what does Jesus tell Peter to do each time? [38:45]
What pictures are used to describe a person who lacks these growing qualities in 2 Peter 1:9, and what has that person forgotten? [32:07]

Interpretation questions

Peter says God’s divine power has given everything needed for life and godliness, and then says, “make every effort.” How do those two truths fit together without turning the Christian life into either passivity or self-help? [24:40]
Peter speaks of “knowledge” of Christ as something deeper than information. What does it mean for knowledge of Jesus to be relational and engaged rather than just factual? [20:42]
Peter says a person can become nearsighted and blind by forgetting cleansing from former sins. How can shame about the past make a believer spiritually forgetful in the present? [34:50]
Jesus restores Peter at a charcoal fire, in the place that would have reminded him of failure. What does that suggest about the way Jesus deals with painful memories and places of shame? [39:08]

Application questions

The whole life belongs to God, not just a Sunday morning slice. What part of the “other six days” is hardest to offer to God right now—work, home life, relationships, thought life, rest, or something else? What makes that part difficult? [14:47]
God’s grace is not earned, but it does call for effort. Where is there a need to “make every effort” right now in a concrete way—perhaps in self-control, perseverance, mutual affection, or love? What might that effort actually look like this week? [31:29]
Peter speaks about qualities increasing over time. Which one of the qualities in 2 Peter 1:5-7 would be most encouraging to see grow even a little in this season of life? Why does that one stand out? [29:05]
Shame often says the past has the final word. Is there a failure, regret, or label that still tries to define identity? What would it look like to answer that voice with the truth that there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus? [45:58]
Jesus restored Peter in front of others and did not pin him to his worst moment. Is there a place where it is still hard to believe that Jesus sees a beloved child rather than a failure? What helps that truth become more believable? [39:52]
Some memories, places, or even smells can bring a person back to painful moments. Has there been a place or trigger that still carries shame or fear? What might it mean for Christ to meet a person there with restoring grace? [38:20]
God gives identity, purpose, and belonging that neither failure nor an oppressor has the right to define. Where is there a need to let God name who a person is more deeply than past sin, past success, or past harm? [44:27]

Sermon Clips

86s

#RestorativeGrace

“``Jesus didn't interrogate Peter. Did you notice that? His his response to Peter was fully restorative. Not vindictive, not punitive. It's amazing. So the obvious question, so how about you? Listen. We all have a past. Some of it more recent than others. We've got things that we like like, I we don't want people to know. Get it. And and there's a lot of things in this room that people don't know. God knows. And god goes, I got you. I've got you. Let's go. Because it didn't start with your effort. It doesn't end with what you do. I bring my divine power. I bring my glory and my goodness. I give my bring my forgiveness to you. Let's go. Come on. Who's with me? Right? Like, this this is Jesus.”

69s

#RestoredAndChosen

“Please notice this. He did it in front of others. Jesus deny or Peter denied Jesus in front of others, and then Jesus restored him in front of others. Jesus didn't see Peter as failure. I know a lot of us, we we walk through life feeling like just people see us as a failure. We we we feel identified by our mistakes, our problems. No. Jesus identifies him as a child of god, still chosen, still loved in spite of, but because of God's glory and his goodness and his gift of his son. It's amazing. This is Peter, but this is you. This is this is your opportunity.”

72s

#NotDefinedByPast

“Peter, like us, we we are candidates to succumb to the enemy's work, that your past is something you cannot get beyond. That because of your past, there's this ceiling on who you are. You you know, you can't be well, don't you remember? How are you for what? You think you think there's forgiveness for that? Peter, like us, was someone who who who struggled with that sense of being, you know, worthless. Like, how how could I with all that I've done, all the things I didn't do, the promises I've made that I didn't follow-up on. I never made an effort. How could I? And the enemy just wants to build on that and beat us down and hold us captive to our past.”

51s

#ShameReplacedByGrace

“And you know the story. Jesus has this interaction with Peter. And Peter, do you love me? And and three times, he asked him that. Just the same as the three and he says, what Jesus is doing, what he's restoring this moment. And he's restoring that experience. And even to the point of that aroma. And so every time Peter would go by and experience that aroma, he wouldn't go to the shame that he felt for denying his savior. He'd be able to go, yes. I did deny him, but then out of god's glory and his goodness and his grace and his mercy, he forgave me.”

67s

#CalledByHisGoodness

“And he goes on, and I love what he goes on to say. He goes on to say, he calls us by his glory and his goodness. Calls us by his glory and his goodness. Do you hear what that is saying to you? It's it's not your goodness in in which he calls us. It's his goodness. Again, it's amazing when we sort of slow down and think about this stuff. We start to see how god initiates, and god calls, and god offers himself. It's not our effort. It's through his grace, and it's through his mercy. It's not works. It's not us trying to achieve, trying to to reach some sort of status that we might actually get there. It's through his goodness. He makes promises to us, and we're allowed to participate. Interesting word. Participate in those things, in those promises.”

74s

#IdentityInChrist

“feels like a special kind of past that's really difficult. When an oppressor has done something to us, has done something to you, and yet god goes, I have got you. That is not who you are. Identify you. I know your name. I know your past. Come on. Let's go. To not allow anyone to label us, whether by word or action, to not allow anyone to cripple us with that kind of identity and allow god to call us his children to be loved by the creating, self sacrificing savior is the thing that changes everything. Because if we can't do that, we will not be able to, in an increasing way, grow in the grace and knowledge of the lord Jesus Christ. To grow in these qualities, to be able to live out through his work.”

45s

#LiveForHisGlory

“Discovering God's way, discovering living a life for his glory is the best way to live. That discovering our identity, our purpose, and our belonging in Jesus, the the who he is, the what he said, the what he did, what he is doing currently, and what he will do. When we live our lives in that way, it will transform our life. There's no question about it. Living for his glory in all of life and for all of life, the other six days.”

57s

#EmpoweredThroughChrist

“This is through him. This is through his divine divine divinity. This is god's power. He wants to enable us, to empower us, to live this godly, three sixty five twenty four seven life. resourced life. This is about a life that is centered on Christ. And he's given us, it says there, everything we need for a godly life. The totality of all that we do. He wants to resource us. He wants to give us wisdom and understanding and power in order to live this life. And it's interesting. He makes this phrase through our knowledge of him.”

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