Increasing Measure

2 Peter 1:5-8 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The strength of steel comes from the fact that it’s been forged in a furnace. And true strength of character comes from the exact same thing. We know that’s true. Look into the life of any man or woman of real character, and you’ll, without doubt, discover not just one but a string of fiery trials.

Yesterday we looked at this powerful passage, written by the Apostle Peter to men and women undergoing terrible trials and persecution:

2 Peter 1:5-8 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I just felt to circle back to it again today because it’s quite a passage, isn’t it? There’s a lot in there: Faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, patience, devotion to God, kindness, love. What a list.

Am I really meant to have all those things; to be all those things all at the same time? Really?!

It’s overwhelming, almost impossible … but here’s the thing. God is in this with you for the long run. Each trial, each unexpected twist and turn in your road has been carefully planned by God to do one thing: restore you back into your original image, the very image of God Himself.

It may not happen overnight, but it will happen. Hang in there. Don’t give up, no matter how intense the trial, because God is in this with you for the long haul. Your character, truly, truly matters to Him.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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