Faith is the foundation of the Christian life and it is a gift from God that came to you by way of His grace. And you must practice your faith if you wish to gain continual access to that grace. To do so, add these things to your faith in this precise sequence. First add virtue. That means to seek the Lord’s voice for what is right in every matter and don’t even attempt to seek new information or take any action before you are confident you’re in alignment with God’s will. Once you are certain about God’s directions, to truly demonstrate wisdom, begin by gathering any missing information before you act. It is only after you have the necessary knowledge to proceed judiciously that you should take any decisive action. It requires excellent self-control to both take wise action and to refrain from acting when God tells you to be still. It is also critical to recognize that challenges and temptations surely await; they will test you, misdirect you, and humble you. Nevertheless, one must stay the course to fulfill God’s desires, and that takes perseverance. By the way, unless you humbly come to the conclusion that you made an error that must be corrected before you continue, persist until you succeed; a display of permanent self-control is part of the process. However, if you do discover you’ve made an error, it is prudent to retrace your steps to find your mistake. Begin by reconsidering if you’ve misinterpreted God’s original instructions and proceed from there.
This entire process is meant to be pursued in every area of life. Doing so is the very essence of godliness. No doubt, your imperfections will be exposed as you progress, but godliness is not characterized by perfection. Godliness, instead, is the authentic grace-empowered pursuit of perfection, not the achievement of perfection. It’s hallmark is a never-ending desire to pursue God’s will in all things, and to make the appropriate corrections along the way. And that is how a disciple of Christ becomes an effective minister of reconciliation—one who readily imparts God’s grace. His relentless pursuit of godliness has crafted him into a man whose surrendered life is poured out in sacrifice for the priorities of others. He is a beacon of brotherly affection who exudes kindness, a true disciple of Christ recognized by the love he shares. He imitates the character of Christ, and that is the constant meditation of his heart —to look more and more like Christ by how he loves.
God is love; so, to become love is to become like Christ. Thus, to imitate God’s love is the only true measure of a perfect man—the full stature of Christ. And that is the goal of discipleship. Therefore, practice diligently if you wish to experience the fullness of God’s precious and exceedingly great promises, the greatest of which is the promise to partake in God’s Divine Nature.
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