LEARNING DAILY

 

2 Peter 1: 5-7, But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness love. For all of these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

You know from the last page of the blog that as Christians, we have become “partakers of God’s divine nature”. By this we begin to look more like Him than we look like the world.  Right after telling us this, Peter gives us seven characteristics through which we can develop our faith. Each of us must grow up, mature in Christ. Because of the increase in false teachers, we have to become mature. Think of these verses as what a mature Christian would look like. There is one caution to be stressed. A quick reading of this might cause the reader to think there is a progression to these qualities. In reality, Christians need to be growing in all of these qualities. I know if there was a progression of these qualities, I would probably still be working on faith. We add these seven characteristics after our salvation as they do not determine or achieve salvation itself. I know you know, but salvation comes because of placing our trust and lives in what Jesus has done for us.

 

Paul stresses a key word in writing about these characteristics – diligence. It is through careful and persistent effort that we gain knowledge and conviction for our walk with the Lord. It is a must so the thorns (the cares for the world) do not choke out the Word of God (The reference is the Parable of the Sower). You and I are saved by God’s grace; it is up to each of us to make our faith grow. The privilege of walking in faith is to add virtue to our faith. Virtue is a moral courage to stand for our belief in Jesus Christ and all He taught. From everything I know about the times we are in, virtue is going to be very necessary as more and more people are teaching against the teaching in God’s Word. Another way to think about diligence is “strenuously giving yourself to something, fully committing to an activity without concern for the cost, going to extravagant lengths to complete the goal. Peter meant we should make Christ and His kingdom our focus, putting “all our efforts into running the race He has set before us” (1 Corinthians 9:24) (DJSB).

 

Knowledge has been addressed before; but, let this be a reminder for each of us. Most have knowledge of Jesus. I hope I don’t overstep with this next statement. Too many do not have a great understanding of what He expects. There is never a time that I open up God’s Word that I do not learn from it. I am always amazed with what I have seemed to miss. There is greater knowledge with spiritual maturity. It is knowledge that comes that will help us identify false teaching and reject it. This type of knowledge only comes with a diligent study of God’s Word. I just cannot write this enough!

 

Let me examine one more of these characteristics. Self-control is the mastery over evil feelings and desires. It means we stay within the boundaries God has established and set for us to live by. Here it is – it is being discipled to live by God’s Word. Oh, how I need to have His help in this area; just being open and honest. The Apostle Paul writes about the discipline that an athlete needs to compete as he/she competes for the prize. So do you and I need to be disciplined and temperate in all phases of our life. Too much of anything causes problems that result in consequences that would have been avoided with discipline. Faith grows when Believers decide to exercise personal self-control – for a lifetime!

 

In the next page of the blog, “the rest of the story”.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible