T H E O P H I L U S

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.

2 Peter 1:5-9 ESV

Sensationalism¹ is one of the most dangerous “isms” of our day and age. We quickly buy into the sensations which the popular media portrays to us as facts, and are quick to believe the emotionally charged messages and content which has been thrown at us day by day. From an outer ocular view, western humanity today could be perceived as a marketing-heavy, stimulus-flustered, emotionally-driven and feel-hungry generation. And although this might seem quite old-school in perspective and generalizing, somehow all generations fall guilty of this psychological state. It is only likely because of the exposure in which the multi-facetted dimensions of media have permitted such behaviour to become much more magnified.

THE DISCIPLINE OF SELF-CONTROL

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge (2 Pet. 1:5).

The easiest choice is to use your heart and to follow whatever you feel like doing. Some may say they are more cerebral and think more than they feel, but when it comes to dire circumstances which challenge one’s character, it is more often than none that we will choose to be influenced by the intensity of emotions in our heart before we use our minds to soberly put godly virtues into practice. This is not to say that we must become stoic and become heartless beings. It is an urge for us to pursue godly virtue intentionally. For example, just because we don’t feel compelled to forgive our enemies, does not mean that we are not called to do so. The “I don’t feel like it” cannot be our response when challenges come our way. A majority of our struggle in the Christian journey is overcoming the “I don’t feel like it” moments. That is precisely where our personal spiritual discipline begins. Faith begins with practicing virtues, regardless of whether we feel like it or not.

Jesus may have had the choice to smite us with his authority when he was being persecuted and nailed to the cross. And if he was fully man, how much more he may have felt like coming down from the cross. Yet in his goodness, grace, mercy and his plan for salvation he had his eyes on what was ahead. He chose to love us and to save us from our sins, even if we would sin again.

Thus, faith is a choice, and it is choosing godly virtue; a virtue fuelled by our knowledge of the gospel and the Word of God. Choosing faith, and choosing godly virtue permeates our hearts outward and inwardly. pray for and practice the virtues given to us in the fruits of the Holy Spirit daily – that it should not just become routine, but so that his Word may become vastly more meaningful in your daily walk with God as you experience him work in you and all your circumstances.