Tuesday

Tuesday, October 5

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, 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, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, 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 1:3-8

Our family dog turned 2 years old recently.  I say recently because we don’t actually have a birth certificate and we really don’t know for sure how old she is.  They say that there are 7 dog years for every one human year.  That would make Ivy about 14 years old, but I don’t know too many 14 year olds that eat entire socks or pee on the floor when somebody rings the doorbell! 

Ivy, like most dogs (and people) is a work in progress.  She has her good moments and her bad moments, and we are working with her to help her become a “good dog”.  We have just about everything she could possibly need.  We take her to the vet to get special medicines for her and we have purchased a wide array of toys and other doggy paraphernalia.  We do all of this because we want her to grow into a healthy and happy family pet.  We have a vision, if you will, of the kind of dog she could become, and we are trying to help her get there. 

God has a vision too; He has a vision for each one of us.  God has a vision of the kind of man or woman He wants you to become and He wants to help you get there.  Peter tells us that He has already given us everything we need to help us grow and mature into the kind of men and women He wants us to be.  But Peter also makes it clear that we have a part to play in the process of our own spiritual growth.  We cannot just sit back and wait for God to magically transform us.  Notice in the passage above that on the one hand we have already been given everything we need, but on the other hand we are told to make every effort to add to our faith.  This is not a contradiction, but rather it is a description of the dynamic of spiritual growth.  We are to be partners with the Holy Spirit in His efforts to transform us into the image of Christ. 

This is why Peter gives us this list of things we should be working to add to our faith and to possess in increasing measure.  When Peter tells us to “make every effort to add to your faith…”, he is talking about spiritual disciplines.  Spiritual disciplines are specific practices (scripture reading, study, journaling, prayer, worship, fasting, etc.) put into place to help us grow.

When it comes to the area of spiritual disciplines, most people automatically feel bad or guilty.  We feel as if we aren’t doing all that we should or could. We may even feel like God must be displeased with us since we aren’t very spiritually disciplined.  The truth is that spiritual disciplines are meant to help us grow in our love for God and in our understanding of His love for us.  In short, to help us grow into the kind of people that God has envisioned.

Take a moment or two to prayerfully go through the list of things Peter tells us that we should be adding to our faith.  Make note of the area that you feel you need to grow in the most.

Goodness

Knowledge

Self-Control

Perseverance

Godliness

Brotherly Kindness

Love

Whatever area feels weak or lacking in your life, Christ wants to meet you there and help you to grow.  Will you join Him?  Remember that He has already given you everything you need for life and godliness!

Jeff Frazier