“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. … so that through Him we may participate in the divine nature.” — 2 Peter 1:3-4
“we are to add to our lives all that character means.” — My Utmost For His Highest
my compelling goal right now is to be Christ-like — to develop godly character out of love and devotion to Him. i don’t know when exactly that’s going to happen but i sure am determinedly taking small steps towards it.
contrary to common perception though, God does not expect us to become perfect beings instantly as we live out our new Christian lives. (thank God for that :)) but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we certainly can develop Christlike qualities which we can exhibit everyday in our daily routine, slowly and consistently, with practice.
what qualities are these? from 2 Peter 1: 5-7, we are charged to make every effort to add the following eight in developing character:
1. faith — firm conviction and conduct based on a right relationship with God
2. goodness — consistent moral excellence, as defined by God
3. knowledge — justified and true understanding of one’s life against God’s purpose and divine plan
4. self-control — self discipline
5. perseverance — steady persistence under trials
6. godliness — consistently doing what is right in God’s eyes and surrendering to His will and provision
7. mutual affection — brotherly kindness
8. love — active and cheerful goodwill towards everyone
we speak of a life-altering relationship with Christ so it better be truly life-changing for us indeed. meaning, we consciously work towards a significant transformation of our way of thinking, attitude, behavior, values, perception, and standards — nothing less than a head to soul make-over inspired by the Word of God.
growing spiritually is verily a life-long process that requires much effort so the best time to start is now.
“dear Holy Spirit, continually bless me and fill me that i may grow in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus and abound in these qualities that He personified. help me to become even just a little like You, my Lord. this i pray for the glory of God, our Father. pray for me to the blessed Trinity, dear Mother Mary and St. Joseph.”
zippersandrivets 