Posted by Don
on 10/14/2009, 7:15 am
216.180.214.2
I'm trying to put together a study on the charactor of God and the christian. It is till ruff and needs changes.
Don
General Introduction
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint Peter begins with the premise that "all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness" have been given us by God's divine power. This is a stunning and seemingly unfathomable idea in itself and modern Christianity has generally left it as being unfathomable. His next statement "that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature" is even more extreem. Do we Christians, today, make any attempt to consciously take on the nature of God? But with God all things are possible and Saint Peter proceeds to make the nearly unfathomable quite comprehendable in its usefulness to God and the individual Christian. This results in an individual with a transformed life. At times, in the history of the Church, there was much familiarity with transformed lives, but not so much today. My purpose here is to enhance the possibility for transformed lives using Saint Peter's keys to the Christian's life to unlock the blessings of God and the revelation of the charactor of God within today's saint-to-be.
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My vision for imparting the above is aimed at the level of children but is to be quite useful for adults as well. It would make a very good family devotion taking 20 - 24 weeks to complete. I think that the most difficult requisite for today's child or adult will be reading and comprehension, therefore, interest and brevity will be vital. For each item in the following list I envision an envelope that is sealed and can only be broken upon learning about the previous charactor trait. Thus, one would receive a large envelope that, when opened, would contain a story that illustrates both the importance of the trait and illustration of it, Scripture that addresses the trait, and a prayer that thanks God for revealing the trait that is a part of His charactor and that He also desires us to have, and asking God that He would help the individual to take on that charactor. This charactor trait, when practiced for 24 hours, becomes the key to openning the next envelope that is also contained in the larger envelope. Thus, over a month (a family might skip Sundays or saturdays), a family could learn and gain that which Saint Peter so ardently desired his children to have. I think that the interest and curiosity about whatever might be in the next envelope will enhance the desire to obtain the "key" to that envelope.
I've taken Saint Peter's list (above) and expanded them out to include those charactor traits that are a part of the ideal listed. In doing so, I arrive at the following list:
A. Faith
B. Virtue(s)
1. Love
2. Honesty
3. Humility/modesty
4. Loyalty
5. Dependability
6. Compassion
7. Work
8. Friendship
9. Courage
10. Joy
11. Hope
12. Grace
C. Knowlege
D. Temperance
E. Patience
F. Godliness
1. Speech
2. Resoluteness
3. Resourcefullness/creativity
4. Judiciousness
G. Kindness
H. Charity
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These are the ultimate gifts that any parent or friend can impart to their children or those who are loved.
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