September 24 Devotion - AMEN (so be it)

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter1:5-8

ولهذا عينه وانتم باذلون كل اجتهاد قدموا في ايمانكم فضيلة وفي الفضيلة معرفة

6 وفي المعرفة تعففا وفي التعفف صبرا وفي الصبر تقوى
7 وفي التقوى مودة اخوية وفي المودة الاخوية محبة.
8 لان هذه اذا كانت فيكم وكثرت تصيّركم لا متكاسلين ولا غير مثمرين لمعرفة ربنا يسوع المسيح.

I read the above scripture as a roadmap to be fruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter outlines that we should make every effort to complement our faith with several dimensions, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.

 

We start with complementing our faith with good character and moral excellence; and in exercising moral excellence we should develop our spiritual knowledge and intelligence.

As we apply our spiritual knowledge we should develop alert discipline and self-control.

By applying our self-control we develop patience and endurance and thus develop reverence and piety.

As we exercise reverence, we develop warm friendliness and brotherly affection toward others.

In exercising brotherly affection and friendliness toward others we develop Christian love. 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I am fruitful unto the knowledge of my Lord, Jesus Christ. Please Lord give me moral excellence so that my character is seen as good in your eyes; sharpen my spiritual and emotional intelligence; help me master my self-control and grant me an acute ability for discipline. Help me to be patiently impatient to develop piety and reverence for You. Lord, I long to develop warm friendliness and brotherly affection and Christian love toward others. Jesus, in Your Holy name I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein