2 Peter 1:5-9

"(5) But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge (6) to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, (7) to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) For he who lacks these things is shortsighted even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins."

I want to go straight to verse 7.

Have you ever thought you were giving some good advice on behalf of the Lord our God? Ever thought that you were giving your loved one "the ugly Truth"- something that they were doing or saying that they might not know they were committing. I have. I have said some things that I meant but in a manner in which I shouldn't have said them. I can't imagine what it must have been like on the receiving end of that attitude but I know that I shouldn't have behaved in that manner. For I lacked "brotherly kindness." In that moment I forgot "that I was cleansed from my sin."

Sometimes we think we are preaching the gospel and all it does is go in one ear and out the other of the person we are attacking, I mean rebuking. In all seriousness, I am sure it feels like an attack. I have been on the other end of the spectrum and someone close to me thought they were "teaching" me how to live my life. For some reason, I was not ready to receive their words. Why? I cannot tell you why. Selfish pride if I had to be truthful. That selfish pride will get us in trouble in more ways than one.

Does God harden our hearts? Does He open our eyes to His ways? Yes. And sometimes he can use the person who is telling us how to live our lives. We must be able to receive the rebuke and teaching of others even if we aren't willing. We must be able to hear what they are saying and compare them to scriptures. Whether you like what they are saying or not, we must hear them. I mean really listen to them- HEAR them. If what they are saying does not contradict God's word, then we must do our best to come into submission to God's word, which will ultimately come into submission to the person who is trying to teach us. Uh-oh! I said the "s" word- submission.

That's a whole other topic that I won't dive into today for lack of time. But, I will admit this. There have been many times that I have submitted to my husbands commands (Biblical truths) out of submission and not because I believed them and wanted to obey God. I simply obeyed my husband. I do want to be in submission to my husband, contrary to popular culture teachings, but I would rather be in submission of God's truth.

I want to read, memorize, understand, and put into practice the principles taught in the Holy Bible! I do not wish to be shortsighted!