For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. – 2 Peter 1:8-9 ESV
Virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Remember these? These are the qualities that we looked at last week, that Peter urged us to add to our faith. In today’s verses we see that these qualities protect us from being ineffective, unfruitful, and forgetful.
The thought of being ineffective and unfruitful is something I have struggled with more often than I like to think about. When I’m feeling overwhelmed with life, insecurities can start to whisper in my ears. They tell me that nothing I do is good enough for the Lord, that I’m not doing things effectively, that everything I try fails.
But Peter tells me that I will be effective and fruitful when I’m adding these qualities to my faith. These qualities will help me to use my knowledge of Jesus in ways that will be fruitful in God's kingdom. And reviewing this list (virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love) reminds me that God cares more about my character than my actions. He cares about who I am more than what I do. And when I focus my efforts on adding these qualities, the things I do for God will be enough. The Spirit will be doing the work through me.
Adding these qualities to my faith will also make mindful of what Jesus has done for me by cleansing me of all my sins. Forgetting this causes difficulties in many ways. I may become complacent or even prideful, thinking that I’m doing all right. Or I can become discouraged if I keep struggling with something, and those old insecurities that I mentioned above are back in my head. Both scenarios have me focusing on myself rather than Jesus.
I don’t want to go there, so I will make every effort to keep adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love to my faith by talking with Jesus every day. (Read 2 Peter 1:5-7 again.)
Think About:
Are virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love present and increasing in you?
What practical changes can you make to grow these qualities in you?
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