First, in case you missed it,
Now, on to today’s post!
2 Peter 1:5–9 talks about adding different spiritual qualities and characteristics and the process of each one building on the previous one. As these qualities increase, benefits result.
You can see the qualities in the scripture passage below:
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Now look at verse 9 in the “Amplified Bible:
9For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [[d]spiritually] shortsighted, [e]seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Whoever lacks theses qualities?
Peter doesn’t say they are missing, He says they are in short supply—”lacked.” The less you have, the more ‘spiritually shortsighted’ you are going to be. I call this condition, “spiritual glaucoma because glaucoma isn’t something that happens over night. It is a cloudy film that develops over the eyes—chocking off our vision—over time—little by little.
Isn’t it interesting that new believers tend to get an abundant supply of the above mentioned qualities? Almost like getting a backpack full of money, food and whatever else you need for an extended back-packing venture. Mismanage these things and you will find yourself in trouble before the end of the journey.
The same is true along our spiritual journey. Verse 8 says that we should not only have these things but that they should be found in ‘increasing measure.’ In other words, we should figure out how to add to our godliness, ‘brotherly kindness, and to that, love, and so forth and so on.
Does that describe you?
If not, ask a brother or sister in Christ to help you with an eye exam—you might be developing Spiritual Glaucoma.