For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so short sighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
2 Peter 1.5-9
What is your sight like? Do you have 20/20 vision or do you have to correct your eyesight with spectacles? Such aids to seeing are a wonderful thing, as I was very forcibly reminded a couple of weeks ago when I lost a lens from my reading glasses and they had to be sent away for a new one to be fitted. I was immediately made aware of how essential those corrective lenses are!
We saw yesterday what I will call today, spiritual lenses, namely. Goodness; Knowledge; Self-Control; Perseverance; Godliness; Brotherly kindness; Love. I describe them in this way because Peter says that unless these qualities are increasing in us we will become ineffective and /or unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and this will lead to blindness!
This is strong language indeed and so it should be, because he goes on to say that in this situation, blindness is an indication that we have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our former sins.
How could we forget that which is the very source of our life with Christ – forgiveness of sins obtained for us through his death on the cross?
Reading this in the quietness of moments set aside for hearing God speak and being in his presence it surely seems inconceivable that we might forget, but when we re-join the rush and business of the day with its many pressures it is all too easy to forget and let our eyes focus on other things than Jesus. In the light of this we need to listen carefully to Peter’s ‘make every effort’ and seek the help of the Holy Spirit as we strive so to do.
Let us pray today that God will grant us 20/20 vision so that we might be fully effective in the ministry to which we have been called and for which full equipping is freely available to us as we continue to add the above qualities to our God given faith.