We’re continuing from yesterday about being diligent and exercising your faith to develop virtue and exercising your virtue to develop knowledge.  He continues on to say to exercise knowledge to develop self-control; self-control to develop patience; and patience to develop godliness.

The way he words this here shows that all of these characteristics relate to one another.  As you grow in your knowledge of the Lord you will develop self-control because of your greater intimacy with Him.  As you exercise self-control, your patience develops and as you exercise patience your godliness is evident.

All of these characteristics build on one another and strengthen each other.  As you’re diligent to pursue these godly characteristics then the evidence of Him in your life becomes obvious.  Notice that you can exercise these Christian traits because you have become a partaker of His divine nature.  You build upon your faith, virtue and intimate knowledge of Him.  As you grow in these areas His nature within you is strengthened and revealed more and more.

Confession:

I will exercise knowledge of Him to develop self-control.  I’ll exercise self-control to develop patience and I’ll exercise patience to develop godliness.  It will become evident that I have been made a partaker of His divine nature!