Worthy Words

Have you ever experienced a personal failure?   I had one when I was in middle school.   I look back at it and I’m reminded of the lack of performance and effort I gave at the age of twelve for my football team at Zundy Junior High in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was a team of champions who won the city title that year in 1966. But not me! During a regular season game I let the coach, the players and myself down because, as a 4 th string player, I refused to go into the game when called on. I was scared because I didn’t know the plays. I didn’t prepare myself. After all I was way down on the list and the bench warmer never gets in the game—right? Folks, this was 48 years ago, and it still hurts to think about it. If I could somehow reassemble that group for a second shot at it, even today, I would jump at the chance. This is almost funny, because today there are certainly other things more worthy of my attention. We all made mistakes we're tempted to revisit. Most of us have...

The seventh virtue to add is finally before us as we conclude this study of the seven characteristics of a godly life outlined in 2 Peter. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)   This word is special not because it was the last virtue Peter shared but because it is the key to making all the other virtues meaningful. Sacrificial love is to be our hallmark expression of Christ living in and through us. We are not instructed to like everyone, we are told to love everyone. This is not the Philadelphia kind of love talked about last week, no; this is the kind of love Jesus Christ our Lord displayed when he went to the cross. This word used by Peter in verse 7 is “agape” love. When we demonstrat...

Now at week six, we continue the discovery of the seven characteristics of a godly life outlined in 2 Peter. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) The word this week is “brotherly affection or brotherly kindness”(the Greek word for this English phrase is “Philadelphia”— the name of a city in the state of Pennsylvania). I’m inclined to think that Peter learned this character trait the hard way. There is ample evidence that the disciples of Jesus Christ were frequently in disagreement with one another and debated each other heavily (see: Acts 15; Galatians 2). But he grew in grace and matured. Peter did learn to love his brothers in the faith. “Love each other deeply with all your heart.” (1 Peter 1:...

At week five we continue uncovering seven characteristics of a godly life outlined in 2 Peter. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) The word this week is “godliness”. A word we tend to avoid because it means “God-likeness” and we think, “Not me!” In the Greek wording it meant “to worship well” by describing a person who was right in their relationship with God and with his fellowman. Maybe the word “reverence” would come closer to describing this term. It is a character quality that makes a person distinctive. Even at that we say, “Not Me! There’s nothing that stands out in my life.” Well, you should be able to say as a Christ-follower that you are special and you do stand out from the crowd. You ...

Here at week four we continue exploring seven characteristics of a godly life outlined in 2 Peter. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) The fourth quality is patience. This is the ability to endure. Last week’s self-control had to do with dealing with the pleasures of life, patience relates primarily to the pressures and problem of life. In a specific way this is the ability to endure problematic people. Paul describes it in Galatians 5 as “long-suffering.” More times than not the person who gives in to the pleasures of life is not disciplined enough to handle the pressures of life either and simply gives up.   Patience does not develop automatically. You have to work at it, just like James ...

This is week three as we are exploring seven characteristics of a godly life as outlined in 2 Peter. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) The third virtue is self-control or the KJV’s use of the word “Temperance” denotes personal restraint. In the root of that word is “temper.” Used as a noun it would jive with the phrase “control your temper” which is contextually correct. But even more meaning is derived from the root of the word used as a verb “to increase toughness.” This is done with metal and with glass when each is heated to a specific temperature then cooled at varying rates which result in increasing the toughness of the metal or glass making them more useful in adverse and stress-induced...

Last week we began exploring seven characteristics of a godly life as outlined by Peter in the first chapter of his second letter by adding to our faith moral excellence. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) Knowledge is now introduced as another element in our growth as Christ-followers. The literal meaning of the word suggests a knowledge that is a process of growing in practical knowledge or discernment. When you are putting your knowledge into practice you will develop the ability to handle life successfully. In fact, it is the opposite of the notion of being “so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good!” It is what Paul recommends when he says in Ephesians 5:17; “Don't act thoughtlessly, but ...