Eight Steps to a More Effective and Productive Life

A few days ago my two youngest grandchildren (5 and 7 years old) helped their mother make a cake for their dad’s birthday. Their mom baked the cake and afterward invited the kids to decorate it and put candles on it. After some time of diligently and lovingly working together the project was finally done. Well, I’ve never officially judged birthday cakes before but trust me, this was one beautiful birthday cake!

You may be asking about how what this has to do with an effective and productive life. Here’s your answer: the kids added to something that was given to them to produce something of great value. In the same way, the Apostle Peter tells us that we can add to our faith certain virtues and character traits that will lead to our becoming the kinds of Christ-like Christians that we are intended to be. Peter puts it like this:

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, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, 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 (2Peter 1:5-8).

Peter lists eight steps to becoming more effective and productive in our Christian lives.

1. Faith
2. Goodness
3. Knowledge
4. Self-Control
5. Perseverance
6. Godliness
7. Brotherly Kindness
8. Love

Notice in this list that it starts with faith and ends with love. Whatever we do for God’s glory must always start with and flow out of a dynamic faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And, in the final analysis, God’s power in us should always lead to love in action. After all, who wouldn’t want to be more a more God-honoring, Christ-like and Spirit-lead Christian. The heart of every true believer is to be seen by God as faithful servants bearing fruit in all that we do and making an eternal impact in the lives of others for His Glory.

God’s Best,
Dar