"Qualities Worth Attaining For Christ"

By: Zach Wood

2 Peter 1:5-8

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, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, 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.

 

 

What a mouthful in these passages!  Wouldn't you say?  A couple of weeks ago, our pastor preached a sermon titled "What Kind of People Out You To Be?", and I was really touched by this Scripture.  As I kept thinking of these Scripture passages, I came to realize that I have a lot of work to do in order to keep myself from being ineffective and unproductive in my knowledge and witnessing for Christ.  Is anyone else with me here?  Anyone else out there struggling to keep up on having these qualities mentioned above?  Yeah....I think we all are! 

 

Now, let's go back to verses 3-4 and read, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

 

I don't know about you, but after I read verses 3-4, I can't imagine how, in my heart, that I would choose not to implement all the qualities listed above in verses 5-8.  After all that Jesus Christ has given to me and done for me, how could I not press on and give my all in making the effort to attain these qualities?  Is it easy?  Absolutely not!  It is worth the effort and struggle?  More than we'll ever know! 

 

The real question lies within each one of us....."Do I want to be as effective and productive in my witness and lifestyle?"  Each of us must desire to escape the corruption in the world and follow the divine nature that God has called us to.

 

The choice is completely up to each one of us.  Do we want to be effective and productive, or ineffective and unproductive for Christ?