Faith Supplement

The word “supplement” has evolved.  I remember when it more commonly described hard-working dads and moms who worked a second job or assumed additional duties to supplement the family's income.  I suspect today the word’s more popular use describe those powders and pills we take to give us the healthy stuff we’re not eating.  Yeah, decipher that one!

 

The Apostle Peter gave us one of the greatest spiritual supplements to the Christian's faith: “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.” (1 Peter 1:5-8).  By nature, supplements aren’t food itself but rather they add oomph to what we eat.  Many Christians today wonder why they lack spiritual vigor to move toward-over-through mountains and valleys they face.  The more common response is to look for a detour – a way around them, to avoid the hardship of them.  Peter continues, “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind.”  In the physical sense, nearsightedness isn't blindness - only the inability to see things clearly but Peter regards the one who doesn’t supplement his faith [with the divine qualities listed] as one who is spiritually impaired.  These qualities are not faith itself, but strengthen and make our faith evident in the mountain-valley experiences.  Rob Kauflin wrote these inspiring words in his song, "Valley of Vision: "When you lead me to the valley of vision, I can see You in the heights."  The mountains and the valleys are not our enemies because [as the song continues] "the valley's where You make me more like Christ."  Oh, how we need those spiritual supplements!  Let me challenge you, encourage you, stir up within you the hunger and the thirst for His righteousness: read His Word, meditate on His words, listen to Him, talk with Him, see the mountains and valleys as where you’ll grow and know Him on deeper levels.  Yes, supplement your faith!