So don’t lose a minute in building on
what you’ve been given, complementing your basic
faith with good character, spiritual
understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent
wonder, warm
friendliness, and generous love, each
dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in
your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its
reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s
right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the
books. 2 Peter 1:5 - 9 (TMSG)
So far the
teaching of Peter has touched on the “inward” disciplines of developing character,
spiritual understanding, patience and a worshipful spirit. These are like seeds planted and developing
beneath the soil. Now the tender vine
peeks above ground level and begins to show the kind of fruit which will
benefit others…brotherly affection(NLT).
There is a
great lesson to be gleaned here, namely – what you offer your fellow Christian will be no
greater than what you’ve first offered to God.
Remember,
Peter urges us to build
on our basic faith, to complement it with the inner strength of the fruit of
the Spirit. As we grow strong in
understanding, patience, worship and strength of godly character, we become better
equipped to do the more mature work of strengthening other believers.
I’ve got this
unruly patch of uneven land that seems to dare me to grow grass. I’ve tried it all; I’ve paid others to give
it their best shot. Most of my lawn
looks like the bald spot I’m cultivating on the back of my head!
I’m no grass
expert, but I’ve read and talked with those who claim to be, and there’s one so-called
“rule” that keeps coming up in the discussion – the best solution to a healthy
lawn is growing grass!
Wow, Russell –
that’s really deep!
Seriously;
the “experts” say that choking-out weeds is best done by having healthy
grass. When grass is healthy it grows
thicker, stronger and more powerfully than weeds. Strength builds strength!
Now, you didn’t
open this file to read about my grass woes – but it helps me make the point
here today – grass grows in clumps; some varieties have runners, but all kinds are
dependent on the community of grass
for health.
It’s like
that with God’s children and brotherly (warm) friendliness. Adding to our basic faith all the personal,
inward disciplines Peter’s been charging us to develop is like growing the clump of our Christian grass…getting
stronger, greener, more like God intended.
But now,
Peter says, let’s take this
corporation public; let’s be part of the community with warmth towards our
Christian family; let’s work together hand-in-hand to help choke-out the weeds
that inhibit your sister’s growth and your brother’s ministry.
It’s time for
the well-developed seed of faith to sprout and offer fruit. And, as with the kind of grass lawn (of which
I can only dream), the strength I’ve developed with all those inner qualities
of character, worship, patience and wisdom, is now offered, and belongs to my
Christian family.
For You, Today…
If you’re something of an introvert (like me), as a
grass, you tend to grow in a “private clump”.
So this will hurt.
It’s time to focus a little less on what’s happening
underneath the ground with all that good character, worshipful spirit, patience
and wisdom. It’s time to put all that
inward growth in motion to the outside - with warm friendliness, brotherly
affection – care and concern for your Christian family.
How?
Don’t worry too much about
that…just be ready to start with the first person you greet today.
