Are you looking for a step-by-step program that will guide you into a prosperous life? Do you want a checklist for being productive? Have you read self-improvement books to find them? Have you looked at the book that contains the secret to a good life?
I believe the majority of us are looking for guidance in some fashion or another. We may not always admit we need it. In fact, we often deny we need advice at all. We like to think we have it all together and we know exactly what we need to do to be happy.
Unfortunately, when we think we know it all, we are usually deceiving ourselves. It is our own desires driving our thought process. That is not say all our desires are bad. Yet, they can be selfish and lead us astray. They can also cause us to be rude and mean spirited toward others.
In today’s passage, Peter gives us the step-by-step process we need to live a successful life. No, it isn’t a “get rich quick” scheme. It is a process that will guide us to a long life of joy, peace, and calm. It is a process that will develop us into a person who is respected by everyone who knows us. It is a process we should follow, if we desire to make a positive impact on this world.
Though the process is provided in a short list, it is not one that can be accomplished quickly and easily. We will need to work at it every day. We will need to ask God to help us each step of the way. The process requires us to set aside our selfish desires in order to be who we want to be.
Isn’t that an interesting dichotomy? To be who we want to be we must set aside our selfish desires. We have these two opposing desires raging within us. We want immediate satisfaction and we want long-term success. Unfortunately, we typically can’t have both.
As Peter states, there is a proven process for long-term success. It isn’t easy. It isn’t quick. But it is worth every bit of our effort and sacrifices. It isn’t something we can do on our own, but God is there to help us each step of the way.
I pray we all seek respect and long-term success. I pray we seek God’s help as we live our lives. I pray each one of us will follow the process Peter lays out for us. Set aside selfishness for success. Seek God’s guidance. Follow the proven process. You can be successful with God’s help.
2 Peter 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For 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.
Marty Pressey 