Building Blocks

"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. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins." (2 Peter 1:5-9)

Remember the building blocks we had as kids? Mine were solid wood, painted in bright primary colors and stored in a round container with a plastic lid and tin bottom. I LOVED those blocks. 

I spent hours coming up with architectural creations. The taller and more elaborate the better. One Christmas I even requested a second set so I could expand my vision and create an entire town, all centered around one "skyscraper" at the center. 

The verse I came across in my reading today, reminded me of those blocks. 

Our growth in Christ is just like building with those blocks. It's a gradual process which takes time and patience. As we study our Lord and His word and become more familiar with His will for our lives, we stack one building block upon the other, moving higher and higher, closer and closer to God.

So I remember once when I got my little town built, with my skyscraper at the center, I was so proud! But before I could drag my mom in to see my masterpiece, my cousin Embry, who had been hiding behind the door, walked through and knock it all down!!! He destroyed everything I worked so hard to build, in just a matter of seconds. I was devastated!

That is exactly what sin does to us. We can be moving along through life, doing all the right things, then WHAM!!! Sin creeps in when we least expect it and destroys all our hard work, leaving us devastated. We are left in the midst of a mess wondering why this happened and how can we ever start all over again.

But as Christians we have hope. Sin is a sickness we all suffer from. But as with Lazarus upon his deathbed, Jesus says "This sickness is not unto death, but to the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." (John 11:4)

That is why when sin knocks us down, we must get up. With Gods help we can right ourselves, dust ourselves off and begin again. We stand on faith, add goodness, knowledge, self control. We persevere, striving in godliness, mutual affection and love and through it all To God Be The Glory!!!