Adding Steadfastness

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF PETER

ADDING STEADFASTNESS

2 Peter 1:5-9

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 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. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

NIV

Again, in review, we know we are to be diligent in adding to our faith, which again, is a gift of God, goodness, or virtue, that high moral standard, and to goodness we are to add knowledge, specifically about the divine nature within and to this knowledge we are to add the control of our self, being in charge of our own thoughts, feelings, and behavior, which is being active rather than reactive. Now as we keep all this that we have already added to our faith, we now need to add perseverance. Before we get ahead of ourselves we should note the meaning of the Greek word translated here as perseverance. It carries the meaning of steadfastness, constancy, endurance. It can be used as a patient steadfast waiting for, it can be used as a patient enduring, sustaining. What this appears is that we should not be given to be in a hurry. That is not in the sense of not rushing around, but to be patient and steadfast for the return of our Lord. Not that we do not want him to return so that we can have more of this life, and the things the world has to offer, but that we should be steadfast in our waiting for his return. Again, this does not mean that we should just sit and wait, doing nothing in this world. We have been told to occupy until his return. The parable Jesus told about the master giving his servants money and to put it to use until he returns gives us the picture, not about money, but it is a parable about the gifts we have been given or those gifts the Spirit manifests through us. We are to occupy, that is employ those gifts we are blessed with for the benefit of the kingdom of God. Remember the servants were required to return their profits to the master. The whole point is that we are not to occupy for self-advancement, but for the advancement of the kingdom of God. So we steadfastly, with patient endurance, employ the gift, or gifts we are blessed with until our Lord comes back for us and asks how have we advanced or benefited his kingdom. We are to continue with constancy doing that which we have been called to do. We are not to grow weary or lose sight of his return. While we patiently wait for his return, we continue on with our faith, our high moral standard, knowing our divine nature and having control of our self, we remain constant, steadfast, with endurance, being faithful in our benefiting His kingdom.