The Qualities of a Growing Christian | Morning Routine Daily Devotional for January 10

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. — 2 Peter 1:5-9 ESV

The second letter of Peter was written to address the threat presented by false teachers who were making their way into the church. Peter encourages his readers to stand out and stand firm in the faith. 

In today’s passage, Peter speaks against the status quo—simply staying ‘stagnant’ in your faith. Rather, we are to ‘make every effort to supplement [our] faith’ with those qualities that Peter lists: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Then he warns: lacking these qualities shows spiritual nearsightedness, even blindness, as if you have forgotten what God has done for you in forgiving your sins. Rather, these qualities should be present and ‘increasing’. Further, Peter says these qualities will help us be effective and fruitful Christians! 

As a Christian, which one or two of these characteristics might the Lord want you to add to your life? Apathy is not an option. Once you’ve identified an area of weakness, heed Peter’s words: ‘make every effort’ to add it to your faith. Whatever it is, ask the Lord, who Peter says has ‘granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness’, to help you grow in this area. 

Remember, in Christ, our life is not our own. We belong to Him! And Christ is still on the throne. All is well.