SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/7/2017
9:37 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1Faith Results in Spiritual Growth
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Peter
1:5-7
Message of the
verses: “5 Now for this very reason
also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in
your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and
in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in
your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and
in your brotherly kindness, love.”
Once a person is born-again into the family of God
through faith in Jesus Christ who paid it all on the cross that is just the
beginning of their new life in Jesus Christ, as it is similar to being born
physically is the beginning of your life on planet earth. Just as babies have to grow so do baby
Christian have to grow and just as babies need food, beginning with milk so new
believers have to feed on the Word of God beginning with the more simple things
like understanding what happened to you once you were born into the family of
God. Just as a earthly parent gives
their children all they need to grow up so God gives His children all they need
to live godly lives, but their children must apply themselves and be diligent
to use the means of grace that He has provided.
Just as physical growth is not automatic as you need to feed your body
what it needs so Spiritual growth is not automatic as it requires cooperation
with God and the application of spiritual diligence and also discipline. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12-13 “12 So
then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His
good pleasure.”
As we look at verses five through seven we see that Peter
listed seven characteristics of godly life, however as Dr. Wiersbe writes “we
must not think of them as seven beads on a string or even seven stages of
development. The word ‘add’ really means
‘to supply generously.’ In other words,
we develop one quality as we exercise another quality. These graces relate to each other the way the
branches relates to the trunk and the twigs to the branch. Like the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Gal.
5:22-23), these qualities grow out of life and out of a vital relationship with
Jesus Christ. It is not enough for the
Christian to ‘let go and let God,’ as though spiritual growth were God’s work
alone. Literally, Peter wrote, ‘Make
every effort to bring alongside.’ The
Father and the child must work together.”
We will begin to look at these seven qualities in our
next Spiritual Diary.
8/7/2017 9:53 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment