But also for this very reason, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge
self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to
godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these
things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s a
pretty big promise - “you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Do I want to live a fruitful life? Yes, of
course I do. It’s such an extravagant promise I find myself drawn toward the
promise at the expense of the prerequisites. Real
fruitfulness takes time. This is not a “no-bake” recipe. This list of
ingredients is folded into my life on a daily basis. My “faith” becomes “faith”
when it is tested. Until I have said “no” to temptation, “self-control” is not
a significant part of my character. Real “love” cannot find expression in isolation.
It begins in relationships that are safe and comforting and matures when
manifested toward someone who seems to have nothing to offer in return.
What
about the promise? Am I guaranteed a fruitful life? Perhaps there is a hidden
promise. It’s not the promise of fruitfulness that is greatest. Fruitfulness is
very important to me. But, the source of fruitfulness is much more valuable. As
I read through this list carefully, I must confess that Jesus Christ is my
source and inspiration. The list begins with faith and ends with love. My faith
is in Christ. I love because Christ first loved me. The greater promise in this
passage is that the character of Christ will increase in my life. When that is
true, my life cannot be barren or unfruitful.
Without a purpose, life can become
hollow…I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t
dollars but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched.
Clayton
M. Christensen
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