Making Every Effort

This morning I am reflecting on the following verses from 2 Peter 1:1-11 NIV:

[1] "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: [2] Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 

[3] 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. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 

[5] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. [8] 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. [9] But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 

[10] Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, [11] and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

I have several thoughts upon reading these verses.  First, our foundation for life in Christ is the gift of faith, Peter calls it precious.  This really is o first importance, for without the gift of faith, we have no real connection to the Lord.  It is our anchor.

Secondly, Peter says that we have been given everything we need for a godly life, though God's divine power.  I think I would read Holy Spirit here, and while we have been given everything we need, that doesn't mean we are using everything we have received.  I know that I am fully capable of forgetting many of the things that I have been given, or sometimes doubting if I have really received some of His gifts.  Have you ever found money left in a pair of pants, or old wallet or purse?  I find that my life in Christ is sometimes like that.  I had the money all along, just didn't realize it until one day I happened upon that which was already mine, just forgotten.  Oh Lord, help me to remember and walk in everything You have given me.

Thirdly, there is a practical application of our faith, that Peter speaks about in verses 5-9.  He is encouraging us to making effort to grow in our life in Christ.  These days, this attitude towards taking responsibility for our own growth and actions is becoming less and less popular.  We want the easy, 3 or 5 steps to maturity and growth that requires no effort on our part. The reality is that without taking responsibility for our own growth, we will be weak, ineffective and immature, and even according to Peter, blind, or at least very near-sighted.

I find the list that Peter gives us interesting. The flow is as follows:

1) Faith

2) goodness

3) knowledge

4) self-control

5) perseverance

6) godliness

7) mutual affection

8) love

He encourages us to possess these in greater measure, which means growth in all areas, not just one.  These are not grades in school where you pass the final test, and move up a grade, these are supposed to all be in action and engaged in all our lives, and constantly growing in measure.  If this is the case, we can never think that we have arrived, and grown enough.  

In addition, continuing with the school analogy these are supposed to all be present all the time, more like subjects in school, for we did have math, reading, spelling, science, phy-ed every year in school, just the depth of the topics changed from year to year. In our walk with the Lord, He is desirous of us learning to walk more fully in these characteristics.  A good question to ask ourselves is, how am I growing in each of these characteristics? 

I find an analogy of  working-out helpful here.  My son was a power lifter, and he worked out each major muscle grouping on certain days, and rotated through them in a week.  He would have back days, leg days, chest days, arm days, etc.  Wouldn't it be interesting to have faith days, goodness days, knowledge days, self-control days, etc.?  

Even as I wrote those last few sentences, I thought to myself, that sounds like too much work!  :-)  Apparently, I have some work to do! 

Lastly, I find it interesting that the list is not a set of tasks to complete.  Religion likes to create lists, but they are finite lists that we can judge ourselves and others against.  How do you judge on the list above?  The are character traits, and ones we should be constantly growing in.  We can never complete these characteristics, and each of us is on our own path of growth.  We do need to have grace for each other, and for ourselves.

My encouragement this morning is that I should be more intentional in putting forth effort to grow in these characteristics.  I am encouraged that if that is our call then, the ability to grow is present as well, in other words I am not lacking anything, other than focus and effort.  

Lord, I pray that You will help, as promised through Your Divine power!   

Amen and Amen!