SJF - Daily Worship, Spirit and Word - Feb. 20, 2024

Faith in Christ Jesus is the beginning of something beautiful! Apostle Peter gives us the following admonition to diligently add to our faith.

“But also for this very 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, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” (2 Peter 1:5–9, NKJV)

God freely gives us all things that pertain to life and godliness. And as with any gift, the receiver has the privilege, right and authority to take that gift and apply it in the way the receiver determines to apply it. We were given faith, hope and love by the grace of God. With these three gifts, we can add virtue, knowledge (experience), self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. It might be said that we haven’t really added anything to God’s gift to us. However, it can also be said that, by applying the gift of faith, hope and love, we can “add” these things to our behavior and daily walk. We have the right, authority and privilege to walk by faith. We can live in a virtuous manner. We can experience all that God has promised. We can exercise self-control over the flesh. We can persevere until the promises manifest in us. We can live in a godly manner. We can be kind to each other and we can love one another.

If we are not choosing to add these things to our walk, Peter said that we have forgotten that we were cleansed from our old sins. So remind yourself who you are now. You are a faithful, virtuous, God-encountered, self-disciplined, godly, kind and loving person. That’s seven of the reasons I love you so much!

Laugh! You’ll have more fun.