"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,[a] 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." 2 Peter 1:3-10
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Yes, the last thing I want to do while I live on this earth is be "ineffective and unproductive in my knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. I don't want to be "nearsighted and blind." As I consider this scripture this morning I ask the Lord in what ways I have been nearsighted and blind and how I have displayed to him that I have forgotten my cleansing. Forgetting where I have come from must be a slap in the face to Him.
Backing up...to the great and precious promises and the participating in the divine nature. I not only have been spared but I have been allowed to ESCAPE the very things that I at times allow myself to be sucked into. Put in this light, and when He phrases it this way, I feel like a fool. So what next? Well, I am to
"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."
Every effort to ADD goodness.
good·ness
[good-nis] Show IPA
noun
2.
moral excellence; virtue.
3.
kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.
4.
excellence of quality: goodness of workmanship.
5.
the best part of anything; essence; strength.
But not just goodness all alone. I am to add goodness to my faith. I don't know what that looks like but I think I'll be pondering it for awhile. And that's where I wonder if this might be a process of one at a time for me. I get overwhelmed when I look at this list, as if faith alone isn't hard enough for me to learn. But I'll move on anyway, because I wonder if they all work together...
or is it after I've got goodness, THEN I add knowledge. I don't want to mix the ingredients of the recipe too soon!
So i've made the decision to focus on praying for excellence and virtue for the next few days. I'll pick up where I left off later.
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