SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
6/6/2012 9:06:34 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Faith
Results in Spiritual Growth
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2Peter
1:5-7
Message
of the verses: We will begin to look
at 2Peter 1:5-7 this morning and see how far we can get as there is much packed
into these three verses.
Faith
Results in Spiritual Growth (vv. 2 Peter 1:5-7): 5 In view of all this, make every effort
to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision
of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with
self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance
with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly
affection with love for everyone.”
(NLT)
“5 For this very reason, make
every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness
with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly
affection with love.” (ESV)
The first thing that I want to do in
this SD is to quote from Dr. Wiersbe’s comments at the end of the first main
point that he made in 2 Peter as they have something to do with this
section: “Because we possess this divine
nature, we have ‘completely escape’ the defilement and decay in this present
evil world. If we feed the new nature
the nourishment of the Word, then we will have little interest in the garbage
of the world. But if we ‘make provision
for the flesh’ (Rom. 13:14), our sinful nature will lust after the ‘old sins’
(2 Peter 1:9) and we will disobey God.
Godly living is the result of cultivating the new nature within.”
I think that it was back in the late
70’s or early 80’s that a Pastor came from the church that I am now attending
to speak at the church that I attended for 32 years and his topic was on these
three verses. Spiritual growth can be
seen in theses seven virtues that are mentioned here and that was what this
Pastor, who is now with the Lord, spoke on during three days of ministry.
We have all we need when we have
been born into the family of God by the new birth in order to grow up in the
Lord, but we also have three enemies in the world, the flesh, and the devil
that will cause us to be tempted and not live a godly life. “Peter listed seven characteristics of the
godly life, but we must not think of them as seven beads on a string or even
seven stages of development. The word
translated ‘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 branch 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.”
I will be looking forward to begin
to look at these seven characteristics in the next SD, and I hope that this
will wet my appetite to continue to grow in the Lord and to live a life that
will be pleasing to the Lord.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I realize
that the Christian life is truly a series of new beginnings, and that I am to
never stop growing, for if I am not going forward, then I am going backwards. It makes no difference what your age is you
still need to continue to grow in the Lord until He comes for us or takes us
home. I am looking for the ‘Upper-Taker”
and not the “undertaker.”
My Steps of Faith for Today:
I desire to abide (remain) in the vine so that I can be used of God.
6/6/2012
9:41:45 AM
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