What is it in your life that receives your maximum effort? There are many worthwhile endeavors that garner our attention, but are we focusing on that which is the best? The Apostle Peter teaches us that the key to a useful and fruitful life is to diligently work on the quality of our character:

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

The phrase for this very reason refers back to our new identity in Christ. In the preceding verse, we see that God has given us a new nature:

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

We cannot give ourselves a new nature, that is God’s responsibility. God however, does not give us habits of good character, that is our responsibility. Peter says we are to add habits of virtue to our faith. Incorporating these habits into our lives may prove to be difficult in the beginning, but as we develop these character qualities we shall experience his promises:

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:8-9)

It can be tempting to take the easy way rather than the hard way. We must realize that the short-term easy often results in the long-term hard; whereas the short-term hard leads to the long-term easy. We have two teachers in life – discipline and regret. Discipline is hard at the beginning, but rewarding at the end. The easy way is appealing, but it may result in regret at the end. The pain of regret is always worse than the pain of discipline. You can choose to be comfortable or you can choose to demonstrate character – but you can’t do both. Peter concludes with a call to diligence:

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:10-11)

Charles Spurgeon reminds us, “God sends every bird his food, but He doesn’t throw it into the nest.” May we be diligent to work out what God has worked in.

Rick Higgins

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark