Archive for February 9th, 2008
Working hard to not
Peter, a guy known as one of the original Christ followers, knew about effort. He worked hard at fishing. He worked hard at leading the disciples. He worked hard at getting things just right for Jesus.
Peter worked hard.
So when he writes to us that we are to make every effort to add to our faith goodness, it sounds like he is reasserting the old work effort. It’s time, we think, to start working hard at goodness.
Except to think that is to forget that Peter understood that his being good never got him anywhere. Even his sheer determination that he would never deny Christ failed him. Peter’s goodness wasn’t.
But Christ’s was.
Making every effort to add goodness means that we make it our purpose to not try to perfect ourselves, but to allow the goodness of God to work in us. Adding goodness means subtracting our self-righteousness. Rather than struggling to be perfect, we can find the freedom in acknowledging that we aren’t.
To your faith, add [God's] goodness.
And we are on the road to [spiritual] productivity.
