When I get dressed for work or for church, I typically do one final check in the mirror before leaving home. I’m looking for any collars that are turned the wrong way, belt loops that have been skipped, a fly that’s unzipped, or any buttons that I missed. I don’t need to be dressed to the nines for anybody’s attention, but I want my appearance to exhibit a degree of excellence.

I think that’s a decent comparison to the kind of excellence that ought to characterize Christian living. Not that we’re seeking attention, but that we simply do life properly. Peter’s formula for spiritual growth (2 Pt. 1:5-9) puts that ideal as the first addition to active faith in God. He uses the word arete, which can be defined either as “excellence” or “moral excellence.” Obviously, this speaks to the quality of our moral behaviors—that we avoid cussing, drunkenness, gluttony, and greed. That we aren’t careless with debt, divisive or manipulative, arrogant, sexually provocative in dress or behavior, or into immoral types of entertainment. And yet, it speaks more than that. The word is used in only four places in the New Testament: two of them refer to our Christian way of life, and two of them refer to the “excellencies” of God himself. That speaks to excellence as a character trait unto itself.

As sons and daughters of God, we ought not be clothed with haphazard habits, lackluster efforts, and milquetoast commitments. Instead, we clothe ourselves with the character traits of Christ (Col. 3:12-14) and we wear them with excellence. So whether in school, work, the arts, or even sports; we give our best efforts. We give God our most sincere and skillful worship. We manage our households, finances, and place in society well. We hold our Bible teaching and Bible learning efforts to a high standard. Et cetera, et cetera. The Christian life isn’t defined by carelessness, laziness, and slovenliness. It ought to be a living example of continual excellence.

So the next time you go out into the daily grind, take a good look in the mirror and do a check on the whole of your life: Am I living a life of arete? Am I living a life that is clothed with excellence?

- Dan Lankford, minister

One of the reasons why we experience paralysis by analysis is our intense fear of regret. We don’t want to miss something or make the wrong choice. We don’t want to start a project the wrong way and wish we’d done it differently later on - so we don’t start at all. We don’t want to choose to eat at a mediocre restaurant (looking at you Chili’s) only to realize later that we should have eaten at Outback - so we sit in the car with the engine running trying to think of all the restaurants in town. We don’t want to make a bad choice. We don’t want to waste our time. So, we freeze.

Again, the same is true when it comes to spiritual growth. Sometimes it’s hard to determine what area of my spiritual life should take priority. We want so badly to make the best choice that we end up making no choice. Our fear of regret leaves us paralyzed and spiritually stunted. That’s what makes this little passage in II Peter so helpful. In it, Peter calms our fears about regret. He instructs us to add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (II Peter 1:5-7), and then he offers a little reassurance...

“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.” - II Peter 1:8

I think that’s a wonderful little piece of confidence we can carry with us. If we focus on adding and increasing these seven qualities we can be sure that we will always be useful and fruitful in the kingdom. “Seven-Quality People” always make their mark on the kingdom. Peter adds even more reassurance a few verses later,

“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.” - II Peter 1:10-11

That’s why Dan and I are encouraging you to focus on these seven qualities this year. Peter guarantees that Christians with these seven qualities are useful, fruitful, and will undoubtedly receive an eternal reward.

- Jonathan Banning

Paralysis by analysis. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the term you’re familiar with the experience. It happens when life presents you with such an overwhelming number of options that you are left effectively frozen, unsure of how to move forward. Like when you are beginning to embark on a huge project, but you aren’t quite sure how to begin... or when you want to start a diet, but there are so many options you aren’t sure which to choose... or when you and your spouse want to grab dinner, but you can’t decide where to eat... That’s paralysis by analysis.

I think that can happen to Christians when we think about the prospect of spiritual growth. We are called to constantly grow in Christ (Ephesians 4:13). We are called to press on toward perfection (Philippians 3:14). We are called to observe all the Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). If you’re anything like me, those commands leave you feeling overwhelmed. Where do I even begin? What should I aim at?

New Christians wrestle with that. There is so much change that needs to take place, what should I tackle first? More established Christians struggle with that, too. They have that intense desire to serve Jesus in every way, but they are bombarded with applications every week from sermons, classes, elders, and podcasts. It’s hard to sift through the advice and focus on a path. Older Christians deal with this, too. They don’t want to settle in but the marriage is solid, the kids are grown, and their faith is strong - sometimes it’s hard to know what else needs doing. Maybe that’s where you are. You want to grow this year, but you just feel a little overwhelmed and uncertain about where to start. Perhaps we could let Peter offer us a little direction.

In II Peter 1:5-7, the apostle zeroes in on seven qualities, and encourages every Christian to add these qualities to their faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In 2025, Dan and I want to dig into those seven qualities. We want to talk about why they are so important and how we can cultivate these qualities and cause them to flourish within us.

- Jonathan Banning