Graces to Grow Up Together

Written by: John Sernaque

Call to Worship

2 Peter 1: 5-7

1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Graces to Grow Up Together—

We are to add to faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. You are not to think that you must wait until you have perfected one grace before cultivating another. No; they are to grow up together, fed continually from the fountain of charity; every day that you live, you can be perfecting the blessed attributes fully revealed in the character of Christ; and when you do this, you will bring light, love, peace, and joy into your homes (The Review and Herald, July 29, 1890). {7BC 943.6}

Charity is love, and God is love. The love that God gives us, called Agape love, lives in God. Moreover, whoever lives in love lives in God. Dear brothers and sisters let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Therefore, we know and rely on the love God has for us. The nature of God’s love is unchangeable. God is love.

Dear kind and gracious Father,

We thank You for loving us the way You do. You loved us even before we were born. You take notice of everything we go through in our life. We thank You so much for giving us the honor and privilege of living through You. We thank You for Your grace and mercy. We thank You for showing us how to love one another. We pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in perfecting the blessed attributes fully revealed in the character of Christ. We pray to grow up together and look forward to the day of Your return. We thank You and praise You, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.