Eight times in the New Testament, we are told to “make every effort”. These eight admonishments create a most excellent list of life-shaping priorities. Today, number 4, found in 2 Peter 1:5-9:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For 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. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”
First of all, for what very reason? For the very reason that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through Christ, and has lavished upon us very precious and powerful promises.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith. There could, legitimately, be a period right there. This is, in fact, the admonishment - make every effort to add to your faith.
But why? Why is it so important to add to my faith? Isn’t faith enough?
It turns out that idle faith soon becomes lazy faith which soon becomes dead faith and soon after that no faith at all. I am sick to death of hearing about yet another young leader, raised in the church and committed to ministry, who is giving up on God. This is, I believe, what happens when we don’t make every effort to add to our faith.
But what should we seek to add to our faith? It’s quite a list!
Goodness
Knowledge
Self-control
Perseverance
Godliness
Mutual affection
Love
Oh my - what a list! Can you see, just by reading the list slowly how dramatically it would affect your life if you made every effort to add these to your faith?
What would happen is that you would be kept from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of Jesus!
And neglecting this effort of addition actually reveals that you are nearsighted and blind - that you have forgotten that you have been cleansed from your past sins.
Wow!!!
I don’t know about you, but I say, “Let’s get started now!”