As the apostle Peter begins to share with us in his second book, we find that he behooves us to start adding "tools" to our toolbox. As we read in the next verse of 2 Peter1:5, it says, For this very reason, applying your diligence to the divine promises, make every effort in exercising your faith to develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding).
We see here that clearly
our next tool is moral excellence or in the vernacular of years ago…VIRTURE! So,
we must ask ourselves; what is virtue and how do we attain it? For believers in
Christ, virtue is best defined in our ability to actively pursue God’s will and
display His character in ALL THINGS. In essence, MORAL EXCELLENCE or VIRTURE occurs
by living out our faith in all of life, even when it is difficult, in order to
bring God, the GLORY He is due!!
We only have to look in
God’s Word to find examples of such virtuous, morally excellent followers of
the one true God. Examples like Joseph, King David, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, Andrew,
or Simon Peter…but one of my favorites; Joseph, the husband of Mary and the
earthly father of Jesus. Yes, the Holy Scriptures are resplendent with a myriad
of examples of those who pursued the will of God with their entire beings.
Our next tool Peter
encourages us to add to our “toolbox” for godly living is… KNOWLEDGE….and here
we must differentiate between the kinds of knowledge that will draw us closer
to God.
First, we have SECULAR
knowledge….the knowledge of the ways, the ins and outs, the ebbs and flows of
this secular, but universal world. This knowledge allows us to move throughout
our world with the understandings of how God uses this world of His Creation to
provide His greatest creation to exist and flourish as He provides us the very
essences of life on this planet we call, HOME!
Second, and far more
importantly, is our SPIRITUAL knowledge that allows us to
ascertain the Divine Truths, Personal Faith, Scriptural Insights and Spiritual
Experiences that bring us into a close and more intimate walk with our Heavenly
Father. This Spiritual knowledge gives us a sense of meaning and purpose
(Jeremiah 29:11); it allows us to gain an inner peace and feelings of contentment
(Phil. 4:11-13); it provides us with better coping strategies and skills (Hebrew
12:5-8); and probably, most importantly for our interactive lives, the Spiritual
Knowledge that increases our compassion and empathetic feelings toward others
(Matt.9:36 & 14:14).
Yes, our journey to Heaven will be fraught with many
speedbumps, brick walls and insurmountable obstacles that will impend our
travels; however, if we use our willingness to remain seekers and does of moral
excellence, and spend our time in lofty pursuits to gain more and more
spiritual knowledge of the will and way of our Father, we will be ready for
what He is preparing for us in our celestial HOME…the home that is known as THE
KINGDOM OF GOD!!!
PREPPING FOR THE KINGDOM,
WPQ
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