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2 Peter 1:3-8

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

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, perseverence; and to perseverence, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you posess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I began last week discussing discipleship with the first taste of the goodness of God, and that once we have tasted that the Lord is good we hunger for more of his goodness in our lives.  We can see that progression here in this passage from 2 Peter.  Our walk with God begins with faith in the one who calls us.  Then we see and taste that he is good and add his goodness to our lives.  Peter calls us to add knowledge to goodness.  Knowledge of what?  Knowledge of God, of the divine nature, his glory, his goodness and his promises to us.  Knowledge comes from studying his word and figuring out how to apply it to our own lives.  This leads to self-control.  The discipline to read and study the Bible, and more importantly to apply it.  How does my faith, God's goodness and knowledge of his divine nature work in my life?  How do my priorities become rearranged to reflect my faith?  How do I reflect God's goodness to that guy who ran the red light in front of me last week?  Suddenly self-control begins to manifest itself in small ways.  Self-control requires perseverence.  How many times have you started out intending to live better, be nicer, quit whatever?  Only to find at the end of the day, you have failed once again?  I know for me it is a daily battle.  To complain less, turn the other cheek more.  Perseverence is the ability to start again.  To hope that this time I will see it through to the end.  And when I fail, again, to know that God's promise is that he is still with me and he will give me the strength to try again, again.  Little by little as Peter implies, we become more and more like the God who has called us.  We develop godliness, which is not a list of holy character traits, but a reflection of his image.  We develop brotherly kindness and love, because that is at the very heart of who God is.  His kindness is what draws us in the first place and it is his love that holds us to him.  And as we begin to reflect that godliness, brotherly kindness and love, we become more effective and productive in his kingdom.  Others will be attracted to the faith.  Not because we are such holy people, but because they see God's character reflected in us.  And so the cycle begins again and we add these qualities to our lives in increasing measure.