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"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(2 Peter 1:5-8, CSB)
I like to consider myself a routine person. One thing that is a part of my and Kyndall's routine is working out together. We try to do this at least three times a week. Without fail, before and after we workout together, I take some workout supplements to help me. Before we head off to the gym, I take some pre-workout mix to get some extra energy. After the workout, I make some BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) shakes for Kyndall and myself, and then I finish with some post-workout protein powder... and that is my "supplement routine".
Why am I telling you this? Well, the reason I do all this is to take care of my body and to maximize my workout and recovery. The verses above from 2 Peter get me to think similarly about the traits that the verses talk about. I am very familiar with the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5, as well as the traits to put on and put off discussed in Colossians 3, but I only recently really paid attention to the virtues of 2 Peter 1.
First of all, I love Peter's imploring: "make every effort to supplement your faith," or as the KJV says, "to add to your faith." This is not saying that these attributes are necessary for salvation or fundamental because faith by itself is not enough. No, this list that Peter provides are extra bonuses, they are extra dimensions to maximize your faith and your relationship with Jesus.
Peter lists the following attributes that enhance our walk with God: goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Which of these do you need to put a little extra intentionality or effort into inside your own life? From Peter saying, "make every effort," we know these attributes require hard work to implement and grow in.
Personally, the attribute that convicted me the most was endurance. I feel like I am a good starter but not the best finisher. I want to have endurance in my daily disciplines, my witnessing, my fight against sin, and other areas of my relationship with Jesus.
Which of these do you need to supplement to your faith today, and how can you practically live out these virtues, starting right now?
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