5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For 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 1:5-8
Having faith in God isn’t enough for us being christian. But it is just the start of who we really are to become in His own plan in our lives. It is just the trigger to change our views in this world. It is just the trigger to transform our values and ways of living in this world. That our Lord, Jesus Christ didn’t save us just to stay lying on our beds of deceitful world but, He called us to get out of there and come to Him for this very reason… to give us life, a life that is abundant and full of blessings.
10“… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
Apostle Peter demonstrated us the gradual transformation of a christian to be productive in all his ways for our Lord, Jesus Christ. First is to add goodness in our faith. Having faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ should give us a good attitude that we may know the good from evil and that we may choose the good over evil. Being saved, the people around us should see goodness in our works. There should be a change that should happen to us. Because out there in our homes, work places, group of friends, the world is observing us and want to know what goodness is there of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Without knowing, they are reading the life of our Savior through our own lives. So because of this we should do good things in all of our ways thinking that we are doing this for the glory and praise of our Father in Heaven.
Secondly, to have knowledge. What knowledge? Whose knowledge? The knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The author and perfecter of our faith who has the perfect image of God the Father in heaven. The one who’s by Him all things in heaven and on earth were created. So how good it is to know Him just like the yearning of our hearts to know our special one we love? Because by knowing Him through reading His word, the Bible, He makes known to us His love that is so wide as the universe that we ourselves cannot fathom. We will know the things we still do not know and will marvel of His greatness and majesty. We will know and understand His promises so that we being His own children can claim those promises boldly… just like a son claiming his father’s promised gift to him when he got back from work.
Third, to gain self-control. When we are angry or in a difficult situation we tend to react immediately without thinking on what result may be because we let our human nature (rather than spiritual nature which is far more better) corrupt/control our minds. You will notice it when someone hurts you, when someone gets into your ego, and when you see things that you do not like. Your first reaction is to inflict that person, hurt that person too, and even curse that person with foolish words. But we are “supposedly” different from that kind of people. For there is far more better way to react in these kind of situations; in a godly way.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.Psalm 37:7
The author in v7 tells us that we should have self-control; that we should let the Lord do His way rather than our own way to bring judgment to them. Do not worry when they succeed for our Lord had seen their wickedness and it is in Him from where the justice is.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.Psalm 37:8
Put a stop or even don’t let yourself have a single hint of anger for it will easily consume you and will put you to a state that will only put you into trouble.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.Psalm 37:9
This is the promise of our GOD, the Father; for those who hope in Him will find peace in their hearts. If you master this, a new gift will be born into you; a gift of perseverance.
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