Supplement Your Faith
For this reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)
Willard states that “Spiritual disciplines, ‘exercises unto godliness,’ are only activities undertaken to make us capable of receiving more of his life and power without harm to ourselves or to others.” He reminds us that we practice disciplines in the natural every day that result in a “direct command of further abilities that we would not otherwise have.” We know we need to read, study, develop relationships, exercise, ect. Spiritual disciplines are no different. If we're spiritually aware, then we can practice spiritual things daily. Even saying a kind word, or not saying an unkind word can build up our spiritual fruitfulness. Peter tells us to make every effort to supplement our faith with virtues, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and love. He says if these things abound in our lives (practice them), then these disciplines will keep us from being ineffective or unfaithful in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. That sounds like good advice to me.
Willard states that “Spiritual disciplines, ‘exercises unto godliness,’ are only activities undertaken to make us capable of receiving more of his life and power without harm to ourselves or to others.” He reminds us that we practice disciplines in the natural every day that result in a “direct command of further abilities that we would not otherwise have.” We know we need to read, study, develop relationships, exercise, ect. Spiritual disciplines are no different. If we're spiritually aware, then we can practice spiritual things daily. Even saying a kind word, or not saying an unkind word can build up our spiritual fruitfulness. Peter tells us to make every effort to supplement our faith with virtues, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and love. He says if these things abound in our lives (practice them), then these disciplines will keep us from being ineffective or unfaithful in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. That sounds like good advice to me.