Peter teaches us that our faith is a precious gift from God. When we came to know Christ as Lord, we were invited to participate in the divine nature. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we receive the gift of faith, it comes with responsibility. We must grow in faith. Yesterday, we learnt that we must add goodness to our faith, because our faith becomes visible by deeds of goodness honouring God. We are called to love God and our fellow man; it becomes real with deeds of goodness.

 

It is good to be enthusiastic about something in our lives. But if you do not know what you are doing, you are still not an effective witness to the goodness of Christ. Enthusiasm and the willingness to serve the Lord are good foundations to build a growing faith upon; without it, our faith would be in a sorry state. Therefore, today’s verse calls upon us to grow our goodness by adding knowledge. Peter stated in verse 2 that we have received grace and peace through our knowledge of Christ.

 

How do we grow in the knowledge of God? Any relationship grows when we spend quality time together. We met Jesus Christ as Lord when we learnt about his grace and love. We have dedicated our lives to following him as his disciples. However, when we come to faith in Christ, we are still spiritual infants. We need to grow in our faith. In 1 Peter 2:2-3, Peter said: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

 

God has gifted us with his Word, his revelation, so that we may know him. Paul instructed his young mentee, Timothy, about the role of scripture in our spiritual growth in 2 Timothy 3:14-17: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

We need to spend time with the Lord in his Word every day, to get to know him better. We learn his will and plan for our lives by the guidance of the Spirit through his Word. We need time in prayer daily, to speak to God, submit to his will and make our needs known to God. To add knowledge to our goodness in our life of faith, we need to plan how we will spend time with God today, creating a daily appointment with God to grow in knowledge.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of your Word. Thank you for my daily spiritual nourishment so that I may grow in faith. I want to accept my responsibility to meet with you every day, so that I may know you more. Thank you for the guidance of your Spirit in my life of faith. Amen.