JUNE 24, 2014 - DAY 14 (Effort)

Man, today I listened to a sermon on 2 Peter 1:5-11. It's a continuation of what Peter was saying in the previous verses. Prior to verse 5, Peter says that God has given us everything we need as Christians to live a godly life. This is good news. Yet when I don't see the fruit in my life I know it's my fault...

For example - today. I am a stay at home Mom and often I go to bed feeling like I'm not a very good Mom. Did I do enough? Did I talk to my son enough? Did we play enough? Did I spend too much time with him? Did I teach him enough? Did I feed him enough healthy foods? On and on it goes. Today it rained and we were stuck inside a lot of the day. My poor kid was so bored. I tried pulling out different toys but he was bored and the reality is that I didn't give him enough attention. I got so frustrated at him on so many occasions because he gets into EVERYTHING!! It's my fault because I'm not watching him as closely as I could or entertaining him enough. But it's frustrating. Sometimes I just want time to myself. Well I can't expect that during his waking hours. So I'm not sure why I try. I feel so selfish in desiring this and then when I get fed up I put him in front of the TV and on days like today it was way too much TV. I wish I was a better Mom. I wish I didn't get frustrated at him. I wish I could entertain him better. I wish I could get more healthy choices of food into his stomach. So many wishes. So I appologized to him (he's 20 months) and asked for his forgiveness. I doubt he understands. I asked God for forgiveness too. I AM forgiven but I still feel terrible. Why can't I get my act together. Why can't I live a godly life? If God's given me everything I need...why aren't I tapping into that? 

Anyway, so after Peter writes about God giving us everything we need to live a godly life he says:

2 Peter 1:5-11 - "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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, 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. But whoever does not have them is near-sighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

I'll take that! So God gives us what we need to live a godly life but WE are called to make efforts too. 

GOODNESS - I understand goodness as just being a good person. Moral excellence. So each day I could ask myself, what can I do to be good to those around me? If I'm modelling the life Jesus lived, people will notice. (I'm not sure being a nice person is enough for people to notice I'm a Christ follower. MANY people are nice and not Christ followers...so in what ways can I add goodness to my life? I need to dwell on this.)

KNOWLEDGE - The more I know God the more I'll fall in love with him. I take knowledge as wisdom. This will come from reading the Bible and listening to the Holy Spirit. (I need to be studying the Bible and memorizing it and living it out. Often I read it and forget what I read or don't live it out.)

SELF-CONTROL - Of course self-control means I control my desires rather then them control me. (I could improve in this area a lot! My eating habits, my frustrations, my impatience, how I spend my time, how much I spend with God, etc. I should not be mastered by these things.) 

PERSEVERANCE - As Christians we are not to give up. I think a lot of our life may be waiting on God, not always hearing his voice, going through tough times, etc. But do we get through them and do we trust God to get us through? (I know I've given up in a lot of the people I was praying for whether non-Christians or sick people, etc. because I wasn't seeing results - I need to persevere!!)

GODLINESS - I sort of take goodness and godliness to be the same....but godliness means to be conform to the wishes of God. To follow his instructions. (Where couldn't I improve in this area??)

MUTUAL AFFECTION (brotherly love) - To love your fellow Christians. To take care of them. (I think I do this OKAY. If a need arises usually I jump in to help. But keeping in daily contact or constant contact with friends is hard. I may not know day to day struggles until something big comes their way. So that is definitely a way to improve in this area.)

LOVE -  Love being action not an emotional feeling. ("Love is patient."....that right there is how I can improve. I need to be patient and everything else that is entailed in love based on 1 Corinthians 13) 

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. 

Well I want to be effective. I was their to be fruit in my life. This is one way to do it according to Peter. Easy 7 steps! 

 For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

"You will never stumble" - YES PLEASE! I'm sick of feeling like and being a failure. God has given me everything I need to live a godly life and now I need to make every effort...

EVERY EFFORT....this is not some half-ass effort. This is all in. EVERY effort.

I don't want to stand before God one day and he ask what I did with my talents that he gave me. Or how I used my time. Did I make EVERY effort for him?