Making every effort to add, or supplement - by what we do… 2Peter 1:1-5: when we read this text, we might notice that the one thing to which effort does not apply is - faith. Faith is a gift, received that we give back to the one who’s given it in trust that He will take care of me. (to be effective, we must be confident in what is true, our assurance is a mark of our faith’s expression when our faith is exercised out of gratefulness and with joy of our eternal destiny - made right with the God of the universe - the maker and creator - it is this love and our response to it in faith makes us more effective in our relationship with God - and His working through me. Which is what we ultimately want! – AND THIS HAPPENS WHEN WE OBEY!
Make every...
Using every aspect of self -
...effort
Haste, diligence, earnestness, enthusiasm - in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after
Add to or supplement - your (received) faith:
Show the truth of it, your faith, by your deeds
Proving to others and self the reality of your faith (As it expresses itself in, to, and through you - as you obey its (God’s) promptings
Romans 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal…”
· Diligence, speed, haste, enthusiasm - swiftness to show zealous diligence - one’s best and full effort by making haste (getting after it)
· Speedy diligence - quickly obeying what the Lord reveals is His priority
o The better over good
o The more important over the important
o And do so with earnest swiftness - intensity - with eagerness to serve
If you notice here, our effort does not apply to our faith itself - as it was given to you. (2Peter 1:2) Effort is an expression of our faith that is shown real and genuine by what you do, and that – earnestly, sincerely, with growing enthusiasm – in fact, our enthusiasm grows as we serve!! What we do is the expression of our faith. God, through, in, and by our faith, works in us, on us, and through us, as we do what faith compels, prompts us to do and we do it. The effort is not in having faith, keeping faith, or having more faith. The effort is in exercising our faith, which, ironically builds, deepens, and enriches our faith - in that, we might say, increasing our faith - or - trust, as we express our faith, in faith, by faith.
The disciples asked that their faith might be increased, which seems a reasonable request and one that Jesus would gladly respond to in kind, but, instead, Jesus responded by speaking to the effect of faith on the life of the one who has it (however seemingly small - as if it was small in any way)
Luke 17:1-6 (Matt 13:31-32; 17:20-21; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:19)
Romans 12:11 cont. but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Our service, our good works, what we do as we read, hear, and respond by doing - is in joyful and grateful response to having received that faith, through God’s love expressed by mercy and grace, giving us, me, eternal life and not “just” saved, though that be a miracle. But even more profoundly - adopted into His family as a child, a co-heir with Jesus and the privilege of being on mission with Him!
Our faith permeates us no matter how seemingly small (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:21) and affects us profoundly from the inside out! It is our faith that expresses itself in loving, trusting (the more and more) obedience. Seeing God’s word, God’s commands, the truth (utterances) of the Truth – given to us in the scriptures
Faith is not the hearing of the word and believing or assenting to its being true, it is the obeying – exercising our faith in a way that reveals our faith – in God and His word. Trust is built over time through the exercise of our faith as our present degree of trust permits – stepping out in faith, coming to more and more trust in God by His word and the Spirit’s leading, guiding, and comforting – our faith becomes more and more evident, and we trust it, and Him, more, by faith.
Add to your faith… that which is Jesus -Goodness: a gracious act, virtue, uprightness
virtue ("moral excellence") which is displayed to enrich life.
any excellence of a person (in body or mind) or of a thing, an eminent endowment, property or quality.
a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action; virtue, moral goodness
his excellences, perfections, 'which shine forth in our gratuitous calling and in the whole work of our salvation'
James 1:19-27 (Romans 4; Hebrews 10-11)
What are we to put our every effort into then? Adding to our faith, that most basic thing, those things that enhance our looking and acting like Jesus – obedience. Obeying is the expression of our faith, the working out of our faith, the working of our faith in and through us as God prompts us by our faith. Our faith is shown, seen, not by our speaking of it, but by what is done through our faith – our living in and through and by our faith.
James 2:18-26 (John 14)
