The Christian life requires a certain amount of nurture and cultivation. Otherwise, it will not grow in grace and truth–but it will dry up and die instead. The secret of growing in the Christian Life has been clearly defined in the Bible. It has been there a long time for us to read. As Christians, we have been too blind to see it. Man has often attempted to define the meaning of life in his own feeble ways. And these manmade formulas, for a full life, have never fully passed the test of the ages.
For Ralph Waldo Emerson, life was a series of surprises and was not worth taking or keeping if it were anything else.
For James Russell Lowell, life was but another womb–wherein we would be shaped to be born into the next life.
Martin Luther King viewed life as pursuing a cause for which he was willing to die.
Our Lord Jesus linked the quest for life directly with himself. For He said, “Follow me because I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Today, we find that every medium is directed toward confusing young minds with worldly definitions of life
Now, in contrast to all this, the Apostle Peter gives us tried and true guidelines for growing in a life that is eternally worthwhile. These guidelines were communicated to humanity directly from God.
Peter was a man of practical action. He was an activist. Whether fishing or mending nets, professing his loyalty to Jesus, or raising a sword to defend his master in the garden, Peter was always up and doing. He possessed a zest for living. In his activism, Peter transmits the first secret of the good life: to keep busy and to be actively engaged in the work of the Lord.
Now, according to Peter, Diligence is the first thing suggested for growth in the Christian life. Diligence means carefulness or tending to business. It is taking advantage of present opportunities–that will eventually lead to meaningful fulfillment. It adds elements that will make life creative and viable, such as alertness, promptness, boldness, and persistence.
Now, if we are to continue to grow, we must have faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. For Peter, faith is more than an intellectual assent to a doctrinal truth or a historical fact. It is, first of all, an act of loving devotion to God; it is faith in Jesus Christ. It tells of what you and I can become.
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