“… make every effort to add
to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge,
self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance,
godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you
from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8
As believers in Christ we are to seek
to become more like Him by acquiring the following behavioral
characteristics. It’s a given that you
have faith, because without faith you wouldn’t have placed your trust in the
Lord in the first place. To that faith
Peter encourages believers to add goodness, knowledge, self-control,
perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love. These are traits that are enhanced by the
presence of the Lord in your life.
Without God it would be very difficult to achieve such a thing, for our
natural inclination is to behave selfishly, looking to better ourselves over
others.
The knowledge Peter speaks of in these
verses is undoubtedly spiritual knowledge, for you can know many things yet have
it be a whole lot of nothin’.
Self-control is important for it allows us to side step the potholes
temptations lay in our path.
Perseverance is that “stick-to-it” attitude that causes us to never give
up, even in the face of incredible odds.
Our love should be a common reflection of the eternal, everlasting and
unconditional love our Heavenly Father has for each of us. Add to these things
kindness, patience and affection for the brethren and you begin to look more
like what Christ intended. Remember, God
didn’t create us to languish in mediocrity, but rather to soar with
eagles.
The world may not be terribly receptive
to the notion of an Almighty God who rules and reigns supreme over all living
things, but they will be drawn to Him nonetheless if you resemble Him with your
daily lifestyle. The world will begin to
see that which God placed in you and wish to know more about why you are the
way you are. And isn’t that the point of
being a Christian to begin with? Until
next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
