Recently I was flipping through one of my (largely unused) books of illustrations, quips and quotes. As I read through the various items, there were those that made me smile, those that made me wince, and a few that made me wonder why I had purchased that particular book! However, I did find a little nugget that made me both smile and reflect on a conversation I had earlier in the week. Here is what I found:
- Some people are like wheels—they don’t work unless they’re pushed
- Some people are like trailers—they have to be pulled!
- Some people are like kites—always up in the air, and if you don’t keep a string on them, they fly away!
- Some people are like canoes—they have to be paddled.
- Some people are like footballs—you never know which way they are going to bounce next!
- Some people are like balloons—always puffed up, and you never know when they are going to blow up!
- Some people are like flat tires—they have to be jacked up!
- Some people are like good watches—pure gold, open faced, always on time, dependable, quietly busy and just full of good works!
Now, there is NO WAY I am going to say if I know of any wheels or canoes or balloons at Elim! But I had been particularly encouraged earlier in the week by one of the many gold watches who worship and serve among the congregation that makes up our dear church. One of our ladies had been blessed by another sister who had given her a card essentially thanking her for the testimony of her life. The lady with whom I was speaking was telling me that she did not see those qualities in her life, and that she knew what she was really like inside! Her question of me was how to respond to such (in her opinion) undeserved praise.
I told her the truth. It was my joy to affirm that I, too, saw the qualities that had been mentioned and that I rejoiced in the impact her life was having on others. BUT, I was quick to add, her own knowledge of her own true self was meant to remind her that there is always room for improvement! This is a truth that applies to each and every one of us—and to our congregation as a whole.
Peter, that wonderfully “normal” man who is such a great apostle within the Church, understood this truth and put it into words that we might never forget. In his second epistle, right off the bat in chapter one, he states the following:
His (that is, the Lord’s) divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have (2 Peter 1:3-12, bold added for emphasis).
If you notice the sections that I have emphasized by bold print, you will see that there is some activity mentioned in this passage. The apostle instructs us to “make every effort” to grow in the areas of virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. That is quite a shopping list! But it is a list worth pursuing because the promise is that IF these traits are progressing in our lives according to the way Scriptures teaches them to us we will definitely be effective and fruitful in the things of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet notice the wording: make every effort…if these qualities are yours and are increasing. Peter is saying that each of these areas have room for growth in every one of us. In other words, there is always room for improvement! Because God has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (v. 3), we can see improvement in our virtue; we can see improvement in our knowledge; we can see improvement in our self-control; we can see improvement in our steadfastness; we can see improvement in our godliness; we can see improvement in our brotherly affection; and we can see improvement in our love! Wow!
Again, this takes work (he did say, after all, make every effort), but Christians were granted salvation by God’s grace for the very point of doing such work (see Ephesians 2:10). But as we pursue these things biblically we are guaranteed success, for as Peter wrote, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. There are not a lot of guarantees in life, but here is a good one: if you are a child of God and you seek to grow in the things of God according to His Word, you will succeed and not fall. Any time we see room for improvement we can go for it and know we will get it done!
Now, these things are true in each and every one of us who truly belong to God by faith through His grace (see 2 Peter 2:1). And, just like that dear lady I mentioned at the beginning, most of us know that there is always room for improvement. So, I pray that you and I will work on our virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. And, like Peter, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. In that vein, I want to remind you that each of these qualities are characteristics that may be seen by others. In other words, these things are such that they may be practiced when we come together as a church. Although we love Elim Baptist Church, and we praise God for all that He has done and is doing in our midst, let us be honest and say, there is always room for improvement!
In recent times the Lord has brought several new folks our way when we gather to worship. Many of the “regulars” at Elim make it a point to greet those who look unfamiliar and seek to make them welcome. However, there is room for improvement. If every one of us made it a point to spend a few moments each week before or after the worship seeking out someone we did not already know or someone we do not know well and expressing the joy of Christ to them, would that not be a way to add to ourselves brotherly affection and love? Friends, there is always room for improvement!
Elim makes it a point to offer a church library, Bible studies in the morning and in the evening throughout the week, and a Sunday school with teachers who care, pray and prepare. If you are only coming to the weekly worship service on Sunday morning, would not a commitment to one of these stated times of study or resources be a way to add to yourself virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness and godliness? Friends, there is always room for improvement!
Now, please don’t think this has all been a lengthy way to say “be friendly” or “get more involved.” NO! There is so much more to this, and I mean so much more as your pastor. After all, Peter says (and I want him to speak for me in this), that in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
Posted on June 1st, 2009 by Pastor Larry
Filed under: From the Pastor’s Pen | Comments Off
