Merry Christmas!

 Good morning. Because of His promises and our partaking of the divine nature: for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. Wow, what a progression! It would take diligence to obtain all of that. It seems to progress until you get to love. But this is not just some frivolous goal. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that it is not just that you have these qualities, but they are increasing. And what if you don't have them? He who lacks these qualities is blind or shortsighted having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Sadly it is common to go away from them. It is as he says later about a sow after washing returns to wallowing in the mire. It is all too true today that Christians go back to the way they were before they became Christians. In fact some of them go back even stronger than they were before. It takes work, and so they give up. There should be nothing in the old way of life that is attractive to Christians. But it did say to apply all diligence in your faith. It takes work to become what God wants us to be. Father thank You that the reader exhibits moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and most of all Christian love!