it is good that we can recognise it for such.

how we choose to use such awareness is up to each one of us

ideally we use it to our personal and community benefit.

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I would like to think I am on the right track. Except sometimes, when my eyes wander over the scantly clad bodies at the beach, or my neighbors shiny new car, my brain gets sidetracked.

Wanting it all and wanting it now are irreconcilable with having a FULL understanding of our situation as we NEED time to grow and develop the beings we are destined to one day become. There is indeed a long way for most of us still to go to ‘get’ there’ and get it ALL.

I think you are heading along the right track though

Don’t stop now

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The faith, virtue and knowledge of verse 5 make a very good moral code to live by. Our faith needs to lead us to living virtuous lives, making the right moral decisions. Knowledge leads to a better understanding of faith. These are three linked together.

Using temperance as in not losing control of our senses, to avoid becoming intoxicated to the point of excessive behavior, makes the guidance in verse 6 clearer to me. We want it all now. It is better to exercise patience and take the time to understand what it is we really need. Patience is a Godly behavior. God of the Bible has shown infinite patience with mankind. If God acted with human impatience we may have been zapped out of existence long ago.

When learn to use diligence, virtue, knowledge, temperance and patience, this will lead us to acting with more kindness, and charity, towards our fellow man, and them towards us. Brotherly love is possible, inevitable, if we follow the guidance in the Book of Peter

in my reading the verses, verse 4 warns us that our human lusts (strong excessive ‘irresistable’ desire) for things of the world are what prevent us from achieving the preferred level of communion with the Divine. That we humans are corrupted away from achieving our true ‘purpose’ through choosing to give in to (failing to resist) the obvious earthly ‘passions’ rather than attempting to improve our understanding of the spiritual aspect of our being.

verse 5 suggests that surrendering once to the divine nature is not sufficient for us to be ’saved’ in this life; that we NEED to maintian permanent diligence ( be ever ‘watchful’ that those lusts lead us not astray again) and that we learn to add Virtue to our faith in God. and to add to our Faith and Virtue, knowledge and understanding of why these things are important to us as an individual.

in verse 6 temperance is used to warn us against ‘becoming intoxicated’, as if having drunk strong wine and losing our senses – losing our ability to reason and ‘walk in an upright fashion’. It can be read as ‘moderation – to do nothing to excess (and this includes becoming ‘holier than thou’ as many Christians and other religious zealots fail to appreciate – they seem to think you can never have TOO much of a ‘good thing’ – God never works in that fashion – He maintains balance in ALL things (moderation). The only exception is that we are to always be led In Spirit – always follow God’s will and prefer his Will to our own fallible human one. God willl not lead us ‘astray’ or cause us to become ‘drunk with power’ or any other human passion – that is the work He has delegated to Satan. Again after temperance and patience we are to learn to be more like god – godliness and be ‘perfect’ in Spirit.

after we add the ability to be more as god within our thought, heart and acts we are to add kindness towards our brothers (be it mankind, or brothers in Christ) and from this follows ‘charity’ which can also be defined as brotherly love – the love of our neighbour (as ourself).

Verse 8 goes on to add that once we are able to possess all these worthy achievemnets within us we will not be unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ

if i may correct you on one thing? it is only the physical ‘you’ who believes your story ends upon your physical death – you will find that your soul will continue after this – you are an eternal being temporarily living in, and with the full knowledge of, an earthly temporal, physical body/mind.

it may be hard for me to convince that body and mind of this – but your spirit shows through and is unmistakeable. Your spirit knows this – it is just having a hard time convincing you also

don’t ’sweat it’ too much a few of us down here will have a good word to put in on your behalf when the time comes

Fortunately for you and i love, kindness and charity are not just words in a dictionary.

Sadly, however neither is ‘lust’

Great Post Sir.

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I agree. Even in this fast paced, multi tasking, world we need to make sure we develop the patience to think about what we are about to do. We only have to lose to that train once.

Sometimes we think we can beat the train, when we think we know everything, but we don;t know everything, so we get hit by the train. Which hurts.

Then, we need to think about things before we do it, because sometimes we receive a bad result for not thinking things through.

That’s the way I see some stuff. Take Care.