The following post is a message series that I taught entitle “Building A Productive Life For God”. I’m sure that you’ve heard the nursery rhyme of the three little pigs where one built his house upon straw, another upon sticks and another upon bricks. We all know the story, the little pigs who built their houses with straw and sticks were eaten by the big bad wolf because he blew their houses down. However, the little pig that built his house upon bricks ate the wolf for dinner because the wolf couldn’t blow his house down. Well, that wasn’t the best rendition of the story, but you get the point.
Sometimes when it comes to building our lives for God many of us are like the little pigs who built their houses upon straw and sticks. God wants us to be like the little pig who built his house upon a rock so that the devil will not be able to cause us to fall when he huffs and puffs and tries to blow our lives down. Following are some major points that I believe God has given from the Word of God that if we do them, we will never fall and will be fruitful and productive for God. The main scripture text is 2 Peter 1:1-11.
The first major point that Peter makes is that we must be DILIGENT in putting these principles in our lives.
The second major point is to have a strong foundation of FAITH. Whenever the Bible talks about faith it means having faith in God or in Jesus Christ who is our foundation:
1 Corinthians 3:11 (KJV)
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The following are the ingredients that Peter declares if we add these things to our lives, we will never fall. Peter instructs us to add these to our foundation of FAITH IN CHRIST. Read 2 Peter 1:1-11
(1.) Virtue (or moral excellence)- Vs 5
(2.) Knowledge – Vs 5 (not just knowledge of things, knowledge of God-Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10)
(3.) Temperance (self control)- Vs 6
(4.) Patience (the ability to be the same in character all of the time)- Vs 6
(5.) Godliness (worshiping God with how you live)- Vs 6
(6.) Brotherly Kindness (brotherly love out of a common spiritual life and purpose)- Vs 7
(7.) Charity or God’s Love (Love that is poured into your heart by the Holy Spirit- Romans 5:5)
Now verse 8 gives us two conditions that we must meet in order to never fall:
(1.) Must be IN YOU!
(2.) They MUST ABOUND (be prevalent)