Lacking Sight

Hello everyone,

How are you doing today? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” 2 Peter 1v9 (KJV)

“For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.” 2 Peter 1v9 (AMP).

The things/qualities that are being mentioned here are: virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), knowledge (intelligence), self-control, patience (endurance), steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and Christian love. In 2 Peter 1v5 (AMP), we were encouraged “For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue…” and the other qualities are highlighted in this verse and verses 6-8. But verse 9 sounds serious in saying, if you do not have these qualities, or “fail to develop in this way” (NLT) you are shortsighted, and blind and forget you have been cleansed from your sins. Now, we know that the Christian walk is a growing process, and the things you did as a baby Christian, you may not do them when you are a more mature Christian. Or, even things you did 10 years into being a Christian might be very different from what you will do 15 years into knowing the Lord, as and if you continue to grow and develop in Him. But imagine if you took the opposite of all that 2 Peter 1v5-8 says, in the sense that you have come to know the Lord, but you don’t put the effort into or refuse to developing and increasing in good character or spiritual understanding or alert discipline or passionate patience or fervent wonder (godliness) or warm friendliness or generous love, what would your growth experience look like? Or you just decide to grow in bad character, your knowledge of God isn’t growing, you lack self-control, remain ungodly, have no brotherly affection and refuse to grow in love… It would look very bad, which is what 2 Peter 1v9 is talking about. Beloved, let us grow in these important qualities for “The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1v8, NLT).

Supplementary Text

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15v1-2 (KJV)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You for this Word. Lord, help me to not only be a hearer but a doer of Your Word in Jesus name, amen.