Supplying knowledge...

"...applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge."--2 Peter 1:5.  If only now you are reading, I am doing a series I have titled "The ingredients of a proper faith in Christ."  Tonight I want to look at the second ingredient of a proper faith that we need in addition to moral excellence: KNOWLEDGE.

Knowledge.  We add knowledge to moral excellence.  The more that I think about adding knowledge to moral excellence, I think of the fact that most people know that God has a higher standard of morality of their own.  Therefore, better morality or moral excellence is probably the first thing people think of when they want to try to follow God.  But this passage tells us to add knowledge to that moral excellence.

Knowledge. So we know God does have a higher standard of morality. But the question is how are we going to know exactly what His standard is if we don't look to the Bible? The Bible IS GOD'S INSPIRED WORD (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Morality is all well and good but simply living a moral life without knowledge of what God really expects of us as His followers is simply not enough. We have to KNOW what God wants.

Knowledge.  In order to KNOW what God wants we must look to HIS WORD. What I personally love about the Bible, among other things, is that it gives us practical advice as to how God wants us to handle each and every area of our lives. I can guarantee, that while it might require some digging on your part, you can find a Scriptural answer for whatever question you might have about God, suffering (the book of Job is great for this subject), finances, family life, and even the origins of the world we live in and countless other subjects. To moral excellence we MUST add KNOWLEDGE.

Knowledge. As I said the Bible can give us answers to whatever we might be wondering about.  So my encouragement to you tonight is this.  Think of a question you might have about any given area of life. Is it finances especially during these hard economic times? See Matthew 6:16-24 especially verses 19-24.  Judging? See Matthew 7:1-6.  Or most importantly, are you unsure about where you will spend eternity whether in heaven or hell? KNOWLEDGE is especially crucial in this area. For answers to these questions see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Acts 2:36-39, Acts 16:31-34, Romans 6:3-4, and Galatians 3:26-27.

You can also gain knowledge from another Christian. I don't pretend to know everything but please feel free to email me if you have any questions at davidmalleyg@gmail.com. Or seek out someone who belongs to the Lord's Church.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!