My text is 2 Peter 1:5-10: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: Faith works by love We know that faith worketh by love (Galatians 5:6).
So how does love make our faith work? Even if we have great faith it won't work very well unless we season it by adding virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and finally charity or love.
Season your faith with these The first step is to add virtue by putting on the righteousness of Christ and doing good things.
We do good works not to become right with him or earn his love.
We do good things because we are right with him and want to please him.
The next thing to add is knowledge.
This means spiritual knowledge.
We can only get this by studying and meditating the Word.
The Bible is the very thoughts of God written down for us to read.
We must spend time listening to God by spending time in his love letter for us which is the Bible.
There are no shortcuts with our heavenly Father.
The next thing to add is temperance.
This is one of the fruit of the Spirit.
It merely means self-control.
We do things in moderation.
We do not go to extremes.
We bring our body under as Paul talked about in 1Cor 9:27.
Our flesh is never satisfied.
It always wants more and more.
We exercise self-control and keep the flesh in check.
The next thing to add is patience.
This is not worldly patience.
This is godly patience.
Godly patience believes what God has said in his Word and patiently waiting for it to come to pass.
It is not standing in the pouring rain at the rapture bus stop waiting for Jesus to return.
It is actively pursuing his promises till they manifest in our life.
The next thing to add is godliness.
Biblical godliness is a very deep desire to please God.
It is doing the right thing even when it is very inconvenient and costs us dearly.
The Father honors godliness in a believer.
The next thing to add is brotherly kindness.
This is a genuine caring for our fellow man.
It is not "I'll help you if you help me" type of kindness.
It is helping and being kind to people who may never be able to ever do anything in return.
The pinnacle is love We finally reach the pinnacle which is love.
Biblical love is not a feeling.
It is a choice.
It is a conscious decision of our will.
It is choosing to not just love the people that love us back.
We love difficult people, even people that get in our face and make us angry.
It means responding to anger and even hate with the love that God placed in our heart the moment we were born again.
Godly love is stronger than any hate.
We overcome evil with love.
In closing We are to overcome evil with love the way Jesus did.
Our faith truly works by love, but it must be seasoned by virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and then capped with love.
Our faith is truly the victory that overcomes the world.
When our faith is seasoned with these things we will never be barren or unfruitful and we will not fall.
So start seasoning your faith today and move every mountain that blocks your way and cast it into the sea (Mark 11:23).
Prayer Dear Father, I want to season my faith so it will truly work by love.
I want to move mountains with my faith and fulfill your plan for my life and build your Kingdom.
Give me great seasoned faith that moves mountains.
I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Confession I season my faith daily and move mountains by the grace of God.
I confess this in the name of Jesus.
Question Do you have faith seasoned with love?
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: Faith works by love We know that faith worketh by love (Galatians 5:6).
So how does love make our faith work? Even if we have great faith it won't work very well unless we season it by adding virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and finally charity or love.
Season your faith with these The first step is to add virtue by putting on the righteousness of Christ and doing good things.
We do good works not to become right with him or earn his love.
We do good things because we are right with him and want to please him.
The next thing to add is knowledge.
This means spiritual knowledge.
We can only get this by studying and meditating the Word.
The Bible is the very thoughts of God written down for us to read.
We must spend time listening to God by spending time in his love letter for us which is the Bible.
There are no shortcuts with our heavenly Father.
The next thing to add is temperance.
This is one of the fruit of the Spirit.
It merely means self-control.
We do things in moderation.
We do not go to extremes.
We bring our body under as Paul talked about in 1Cor 9:27.
Our flesh is never satisfied.
It always wants more and more.
We exercise self-control and keep the flesh in check.
The next thing to add is patience.
This is not worldly patience.
This is godly patience.
Godly patience believes what God has said in his Word and patiently waiting for it to come to pass.
It is not standing in the pouring rain at the rapture bus stop waiting for Jesus to return.
It is actively pursuing his promises till they manifest in our life.
The next thing to add is godliness.
Biblical godliness is a very deep desire to please God.
It is doing the right thing even when it is very inconvenient and costs us dearly.
The Father honors godliness in a believer.
The next thing to add is brotherly kindness.
This is a genuine caring for our fellow man.
It is not "I'll help you if you help me" type of kindness.
It is helping and being kind to people who may never be able to ever do anything in return.
The pinnacle is love We finally reach the pinnacle which is love.
Biblical love is not a feeling.
It is a choice.
It is a conscious decision of our will.
It is choosing to not just love the people that love us back.
We love difficult people, even people that get in our face and make us angry.
It means responding to anger and even hate with the love that God placed in our heart the moment we were born again.
Godly love is stronger than any hate.
We overcome evil with love.
In closing We are to overcome evil with love the way Jesus did.
Our faith truly works by love, but it must be seasoned by virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and then capped with love.
Our faith is truly the victory that overcomes the world.
When our faith is seasoned with these things we will never be barren or unfruitful and we will not fall.
So start seasoning your faith today and move every mountain that blocks your way and cast it into the sea (Mark 11:23).
Prayer Dear Father, I want to season my faith so it will truly work by love.
I want to move mountains with my faith and fulfill your plan for my life and build your Kingdom.
Give me great seasoned faith that moves mountains.
I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Confession I season my faith daily and move mountains by the grace of God.
I confess this in the name of Jesus.
Question Do you have faith seasoned with love?