Growing Grace
. . . Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge.
2 Peter 1:5
The English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834–1892) lived life "in a hurry.” He became a pastor at the age of nineteen, and was soon preaching to large crowds. He personally edited all of his sermons, which eventually filled sixty-three volumes, and wrote many commentaries, books on prayer, and other works. And he typically read six books a week! In one of his sermons, Spurgeon said, “The sin of doing nothing is about the biggest of all sins, for it involves most of the others. . . . Horrible idleness! God save us from it!”
Charles Spurgeon lived with diligence, which meant he “made every effort” (2 Peter 1:5) to grow in God’s grace and to live for Him. If we are one of Christ’s followers, then God can instil in us that same desire and capacity to grow more like His Son Jesus, to “make every effort to add to our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge . . . self-control, perseverance . . . godliness” (v5–7).
We each have different motivations, abilities, and energy levels—not all of us can, or should, live at Charles Spurgeon’s pace! But when we understand all that the Lord Jesus has done for us, we have the greatest motivation for diligent, faithful living. And we find our strength through the resources God has given us to live for and serve Him.
Read
2 Peter 1:3-11.
Prayer
Loving God, help me to be diligent to live for You in all I do and say. Thank You for enabling me to do so through Your Spirit inside me. Amen
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