perseverance

2 Peter 1: 5-9

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. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

I think we should all remember that this wonderful journey with Christ is just that….. a journey. I like the way that that walk is illustrated in this passage. We have to make the effort, we have to put the work in. It starts with Faith, goodness, and knowledge, and builds from there. What strikes me is the path that is laid out. TO gain self-control we have to start the journey, and it all begins with faith. Not faith in ourselves, but faith in Christ. Self-control, is not just bestowed onto us, we have to have a solid foundation, and as we know Christ himself has told us that he is the only sound foundation worth building on. It is only when we expand our knowledge of God that we can start to see the path that we should follow.

We are told that if we seek, we shall find; but we must first seek! We have to firmly place the Lord in our daily lives. I say it all the time, Faith is far more than showing up on Sunday for the book report. It is when we make time for our walk with Christ daily that we can advance our goodness, we start to practice our self-control daily, and best of all we start learning to persevere. That is when we see the love and kindness flow forth from us in a way that can only be contributed to God. We are not prefect, we never will be. We will all struggle with our own demons, and our crosses will become heavy from time to time. Our perseverance in our faith will deliver us to the feet of Christ!

Peace,
Rev. Thetford