What Will You Add To Your Faith This Year?

When one becomes a child of God, he (gender neutral) is born again spiritually {John 3:1-5}; becoming a spiritual babe that desires to grow {1 Peter 2:1-2; 2 Peter 3:18}. We grow spiritually by feeding upon the Word of God {Acts 20:32}, desiring to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Our Lord and Our Savior, Jesus Christ {2 Peter 3:18}.

{2 Peter 1:5-11}: tells of the necessity and nature of such growth. "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

1) Virtue: the determination to do right.

2) Knowledge: knowledge of God's word because it is the only source which tells us what is right.

3) Self-control: the application of that knowledge in our lives using it to govern our thoughts and actions.

4) Perseverance: remaining steadfast to the Lord and His cause.

5) Godliness: being like God, as He would have us to be.

6) Brotherly kindness: tender affection toward brethren in Christ.

7) Love: devotion to God, Christ, and our fellowman which is expressed in obedience to God and service to man.

If we are to be fruitful in our service to Christ, these things must abound in our lives. If we lack them, we are blind as to what our life in Christ should be.