FAITH

Topic: Faith Anchor scripture: 2Peter1:5-11: 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 1:8 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. 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The first key word to note in the above scripture is 'Faith'. I would like to ask us a quick question before we proceed. What is Faith? Faith is the foundation of whatever man consists or what he will become. ~Constance Chukwu, 2018. One thing we must know is that man cannot exist outside faith for he was created by a Faith God. Also, every creature was made with an ability to believe; to have a belief system that governs his existence. A new born baby has faith that the ones who bare him in their hands are his parents, his mother should be the one who breast feeds him and so on. The young lion has a belief system that he is meant to be a predator and eat flesh rather than a prey feeding on grass. A young fish knows to swim once it is born into the water. We could logically make a conclusion that our belief system could be built based on our environment or what we are exposed to... Simply put: Your faith defines your being. But is the faith described by Peter in this scripture? Certainly not. This Faith apostle Peter referred to was one which stems from accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So then, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17). This tells us that 'faith' is built upon hearing and accepting God's word- Jesus! 'Hearing' here suggests knowledge. This knowledge is what guarantees our faith. The preceding verses of our anchor scripture explains this.This faith we now have is a foundation for our lives, destiny fulfilment, walk with God and assurance of eternal hope. It is the beginning of life itself: The God life! So, having established this truth, we move further. For this very reason that you have faith - have now began a new life in Christ, do not relent, rather, make every effort to add to your faith virtue - goodness, excellence, resolution, Christian energy. Faith in itself is not visible except it is exercised. Our faith should propel us to grow. In exercising faith, we develop virtue. Virtue as described by the Oxford dictionary is 'behaviour showing high moral standards'. A person's behaviour is like a mirror who reveals who he really is. By faith, we consciously hold on to God's promises and allow His Spirit work out goodness in us evident to all and sundry. As we further exercise virtue, we develop knowledge (we seek to know more of our Lord, our role in society as Kingdom citizens). Knowledge is the cure for ignorance. Knowledge saves you from stumbling. Knowledge is the key to impact. And as you grow in knowledge, be sure to add temperance(self-control). This reminds me of what God said to Adam in Genesis 1:28 "...Subdue...". Knowledge sure puffs up. Temperance(Self-control) helps us to put this to check, so we do not lord our discoveries over others. Remember one who has faith is temperate in all things. As reading leaders, we know that there is a tendency to always want to speak in a gathering when you have knowledge about a particular matter. In that moment of a burning desire to be heard, we fail to consider our audience's receptiveness to our message. Temperance(Self-control) helps to put this to check to avoid an outburst of knowledge unnecessarily. So to temperance, add patience. There is every tendency to lose faith along the way, patience will help you to continue. Patience will help you stay steadfast in faith when the going gets tough, for you are constantly put in remembrance that there is a hope: a reward if you do not give up to pressures and difficulties along life's way. And in exercising patience, develop godliness. Godliness is a deep reverence to God and commitment to the service to all of God's people- first, saints and then, those yet saved. Remember: "Godliness with contentment is great gain". (1Timothy 6:6) To godliness, add brotherly kindness (brotherly affection). Your faith should work out kindness in you towards your neighbour. Lasly to brotherly kindness, add charity. Charity: Love. Only a man of faith can be said to truly love. This is the personality of God the source of faith. In love, all the law is fulfilled. Anyone who truly loves you would care about your eternity. ~Constance Chukwu, 2017. In conclusion, verse 8:"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". We do not live as though blind or devoid of seeing beyond our noses. We abound to do exploits! So, dear friends who haven't faith in Christ, embrace Him now and for you that have faith, grow in these so as to see what is ahead and not be enslaved by the immediate. God has promised a firm footing for your life now and also entrance to His eternal kingdom. God bless our hearts! #Constance Chukwu (Visit: ceeceblog.wordpress.com)