Why WE are the one to “add” to our faith.
Add to your faith virtue. “Furnish your faith with resolution,” moffatt]…. 2 PETER 1:5
“Add” means there is something we have to do.
I think as Christians, we often think that God is supposed to do it all. I’ve heard many a sermon debunking the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves.” They think it means something it doesn’t. And I ask myself if they’ve ever read the conditions Jesus often placed on people.
“Go and sin no more”, is a good example. The woman’s sin was forgiven but she was told to sin no more. That was her “add”.
The paralyzed man sitting by the pool of Bethesda. “Get up and walk”. The “add” here was the man had to take the initiative. Jesus did not physically lift him up.
And I could list example after example of how the Israelites had a lot they were told to “add” to their lives.
We cannot do what God does but it is also true that God will no do what we can do.
What are the things only God can do?
God and God only can save us.
God and God only can sanctify us.
God and God only can truly forgive us.
But what then are the things we are to do?
Wow, there’s a lot. We have to work out our salvation. (Philippians 2:12-13. I think that means we have to add to our lives those attributes and habits that “grow” our faith. God doesn’t give us good habits. God doesn’t give us good character. God doesn’t make us obey.
But God does give us direction all the time about what we should do, how we should behave. But unless we respond and obey immediately, the impetus for the “add” is lost. God does continue to give us direction but now the obedience will be harder and just like scripture teaches, eventually God’s voice will become so faint, we’ll cease to hear the “add”.
And can we be honest here? Most of know perfectly well the areas in our life where there is some “adding” to do.
I love what Oswald Chambers writes:
“Be resolute when God speaks, act in faith immediately on what He says, and never revise your decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you endanger your standing in grace. Take the initiative, take it yourself, take the step with your will now, make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you — “I will write that letter”; “I will pay that debt.” Make the thing inevitable.
We have to get into the habit of hearkening to God about everything, to form the habit of finding out what God says. If when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we know that the habit has been formed. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we are not.”
Where are you in the “adding” phase?
Have you identified the areas in your life where there is some “adding” that needs to be done?
Have you asked God to reveal those areas in you to you?
And one final thought. For most of us, in order to add something we have to get rid of something. Or at the very least, we have to change something.
An example:
If we’re trying to be more regular with our devotional time, we might need to either get up earlier, give up the morning news, give up checking our e-mail first, or designating a specific place. When my husband and I were out west last week, we both admitted that we wished we had taken the time for our private time with God. But it seemed like we were up really early the days we were traveling and didn’t have the time. Then while we were at our destination we were on the go every minute.
But when we’re home we’re very consistent with our “quiet” time with God. We’ve discussed this and agreed that no matter what, we will take a few minutes every morning when we are traveling to at least have our “couple” prayer time. God will certainly bless that effort and it wil be exciting to see how.
There are all kinds of ways to “add’ to our faith. God will certainly lead us to those areas if we ask Him to.
God bless and I hope you have a good day.
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