That's grace

"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
2 Peter 1: 5-8

It's Monday. It's the day after Sunday (for those keeping score at home). It's the day after I've emptied myself, crying out from the pulpit (okay, okay, I preached, but those who preached yesterday know what I'm talking about). I've put in all I can put in, then poured myself out like a drink offering to those who would hear. That's truly what preaching is, I think. Just giving all you have for all they need is a chore. It's a chore that not even an afternoon nap can truly replenish.

So, here we are. It's Monday.

Looking for a simple topic upon which to comment, I came to this on the daily devotional from Biblegate. 

Whew. The writer of 2 Peter 1: 5-8 wants us to make every effort to respond to God's promises. He wants us to supplement our faith with moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

Why not just ask me to go walk on the nearest lake, which by the way is a lot closer than it was last Monday?

I can't even jump high enough to get to the first category (for $100 Alex). The writer says we have faith, like it's a given, then we have to add on to that faith moral excellence.

That's the beginning? We have faith, then we add to it moral excellence. Umm, kind sir, where does one get moral excellence on sale?

Okay, okay. Let's compare this list of things we're going to have with the list that the Apostle Paul says we are to have with us at all times: (from Romans 5) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials for we know that they help us to develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment." 

Here's the deal folks: You don't simply get these things. They are dividends for what you put in, I believe. You have trials, you receive endurance or moral excellence. You work on those things and they give you knowledge, which develops strength of character (or moral excellence). And on and on.

You get better, is the point. You work at your moral house-keeping, at your patience, at your self-control. Etc.

What isn't there? 

Salvation isn't there. Salvation is a gift of the Savior, for it is the reason why the Savior hung on that cross. That's what grace is all about.

In the end, you receive hope, hope that will not lead to disappointment. You will be saved.

Believe in the Father. Believe also in the Son. Believe and you will be saved. Believe and you will get all those things. John Wesley called that sanctification. 

You believe, and you receive.

That's life. That's grace.