The Power of Virtue

The glory that goes with wealth and beauty is fleeting and fragile; virtue is a possession glorious and eternal.
Sallust (BC 86-34, Roman historian)

2 Peter 1:8-11
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you NASU

Why should we seek to be virtuous? It is because virtue is power! Is it pride? No, pride is a weakness and a falling short. It is a humble knowledge and acceptance of who we truly are, and treating others with the worth they also deserve. It is holding fast to an unwavering standard and bringing it constantly to the forefront of your heart and mind.

Virtue must be held tightly, and securely. In this world it is slippery, and it will leave your grasp in a fleeting moment of wanton selfishness. Virtue causes you to frame yourself within the confines of God’s Word and Wisdom. An old Chinese proverb says that wisdom and virtue are like the two wheels of a cart, they depend upon each other.

Wickedness always seeks a shortcut, but the qualities of virtue, given to us by the Holy Spirit of God, will give us increasing powers, and not allow wickedness to render us useless in the Lord’s service. Virtue is necessary in a Christian; it is quality that must answer our heart’s door, every time temptation knocks…God Bless

Pastor William