thoughts from II Peter 1:3-9

In II Peter 1, we find that we are completely empowered through Christ…everything we need to live this life and live it well, we possess.  Really?  I’m intrigued already. We are called to virtue, and given promises and told that we can escape corruption.  We get to verse 5 and we are given ingredients to add to the faith we have. Oh no, here comes the hard part. Add to faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to knowledge temperance; to temperance, patience; to patience, godliness; to godliness, brotherly kindness; to brotherly kindness, charity.  Whew! It seems a little daunting, right? I think it does if we think we have to create the things we need to add.  Good news.  We don’t. We just need to accept these gifts as our own; take possession; put them on; wear these promised garments. Who doesn’t like gifts, right?   Sadly, we live sometimes in a state of defiance, a place of pride and resistance.  We don’t accept the power promised.  If we lack these ingredients, we are given two diagnosis’.  Diagnosis # 1 is blindness.  We are told we can’t see afar off-no perception of what is true, no knowledge of where to go.When someone is blind, they are NOT confidently walking into unknown territory without help. They fear. They fall.  They become prey.  Diagnosis#2 is Dementia-forgetfulness, and how sad to lose reality and the truth of who we are. We have forgotten that we were purged from our old sins.  Do we realize the unnecessary guilt that comes from not remembering that we are forgiven?  Both of these spiritual diseases are fueled by the enemy, but thankfully there is a cure.  We are cured with faith. Faith is sight. Faith molds the unknown into known…and remembers.  I was challenged by these verses to take a step back from the list of things to add, and instead reconnect to the truth that Christ has already given us what we need .  In that connection, the ingredients come pouring in. It’s the natural process of growth.  When we grow, we add. The list seems hard, but when faced with a situation in life, these ingredients speak and come to life.  Brotherly kindness becomes a viable option looking into the eyes of another person. The Spirit confirms it for us.  Ironically, each ingredient added prepares the ground of our heart for the next ingredient. At the end of it all is the greatest of these, charity.