For many years, I took vitamin supplements.  A lot of us do for good reasons.  Trying to stay healthy is an important goal that I could work at a lot harder.  How about you?  It’s hard.  Goodies that may not be good for us are so tempting.  Will power, I have.  It’s the won’t power that I lack!

Plus I’ve lost confidence in scientific studies that contradict each other.  Eggs are bad, now they’re good.  Coffee will stunt your growth, now it helps build your immune system.  You know what I mean?   The Apostle Peter in his 2nd letter asks us to ‘make every effort to supplement your faith…'(2 Peter 1:5).  Take your supplement…make the effort…do it!

Not vitamins… but faith, then virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and brotherly affection, culminating all this with love.  Let’s be very clear.  Doing these things never earns anyone’s salvation.  That comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  In Him alone…by faith and not works.  These supplements are in addition to something else.  It’s the growth that comes after salvation has been received.  It’s the flower after the seed has been planted.  It’s exercising the gifts God has given to each of us who know Him as Lord and Savior.

Similar to what the Apostle Paul said–‘work out your salvation…’ (Philippians 2:12).  You can’t work out what’s not within.  Jesus’ half-brother James wrote: ‘faith without works is dead’ (James 2:26).   Saying we’re Christians means nothing without the evidence.  Without the fruit, was anything ever really planted?

Accept God’s gifts to you…and put them to work for Him, for others.  That completes the circle.  Adds health to our system, with the body of Christ fully functioning at its best.  Don’t ignore what God has given you.  Gifts can shrivel and die.  We gave a friend a lovely bouquet of flowers to say we care.  We could see them in the window at their workplace.  They were there for days and days.  Never watered.  Sad and dying.  Finally dead.  We could see this as we drove by.  The gift of flowers was joyfully given.   Grudgingly received?  Obviously, in hindsight, not really wanted.  We could see them, in that window, making a statement as we drove by.  Gift given…not received.  So sad.

Let’s remember what Peter urged us–‘make every effort to supplement…’  Make every effort to be thankful.  Make every effort to pray first of all.  Make every effort to really put Christ in Christmas this year.  Make every effort to live more for Him in the new year.  Make every effort…Have you had your supplement today?

Prayer: Lord, we ask for more…of you, of love, of forgiveness, of growing daily to be more like your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.