PRODUCTIVE & USEFUL FAITH
II Pet. 1:5-8 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. NLT
How much effort are you putting into applying the promises of God into your life? There are wonderful benefits to all who do. God does not give us promises for our selfish gain. His promises properly applied lead to godliness. They work together to strength and increase our faith. The natural progression of faith is that it changes us from the inside out. We develop souls that are grounded deep in the holiness and righteousness of Christ. We become like Christ in our ability to genuinely love others, which affects all of what we do.
To know God is different than knowing about God. To know God is to enter into a relationship with God that results in a heart change, a change that transforms us into godliness.
The more we develop in our godliness, the more productive we become in Christ. We become more than vessels of knowledge; we become useful servants of God. The promises of God were never intended to make us feel good; they are given to help us bring glory and honor to God in the way we live.
Reread today's verses. Look at yourself in light of them. What is God's Word producing in you? Are you becoming a person of moral excellence? Are you gaining in your heart knowledge of God? Are you growing in your ability to control yourself? Are you able to patiently endure whatever comes your way? Can you claim to be godlier today than you ever were before? Are you able to react to others in a loving way that reflects the love of Christ?
Standing strong on the promises of God will lead to a life that can answer yes to all of the questions above.
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