Devotions 05-11-07 (II Peter 1:5)

"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge;"

I think diligence must be applied to all of the other items listed. I begin with faith because that is where it all begins. I have faith in Jesus that He is God's son and He is the Savior of the world. He is my Savior. I must be diligent in my faith.

I now move from faith to something that I must be responsible for in the way I live out my faith. I must seek to have moral excellence or virtue. It has do with my character and how I respond to life and the circumstance of life. It is how I relate to others regardless of how they treat me or respond to me. A man of virtue is an example for others to follow. It has to do with purity, honesty, and many other important values.

Lord, help me to be a man of virtue or moral excellence. The longer I live I see the value of being a man of virtue. It is not easy in a world that does not appreciate a man of such character and morals. Yet such men are what keeps our world from falling apart and given completely to evil. Jesus was the true example of a man of virtue.