Gain Some Weight

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”

2 Corinthians 4:17

Studying 2 Peter I am reminded of the need for supplements with regard to overall health. As someone who takes vitamin supplements faithfully I know the benefits each time I visit my doctor and he goes over my blood work. Like millions of American’s in January of the new year, I am watching my weight after not watching it over the holiday’s. I am trying to lose body weight while at the same time gaining eternal weight.  

The word “glory” in the Greek language is the word “chabod” which means “weight or heaviness” and speaks of a substantial and meaningful life that God has called us too. Before the invention of carbon fiber people pretty much determined the value of something by how much weight it had to it. A jeweler might take a watch in hand just to feel the weight of it in helping to assess the value. The same thing is true with gold. The more gold present, the heavier the piece of jewelry is.

God desires that we all have a spiritual life that has some “weight to it” and the way we gain the kind of weight God desires we have we must have the right supplements. 2 Peter 1 gives us 7 supplements that will help us enjoy maximum health as a follower of Christ. In verses 5-7 we read, “5 But also for this very 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.” Take a look at the list below and make sure you are adding these supplements to your spiritual life so that you never have to worry about stumbling or being led astray as your faith will grow stronger and weightier day by day!

1. Virtue: Virtue means moral excellence. One way to look at excellence is something that fulfills the distinct purpose for which it was made.
2. Knowledge: This word for "knowledge" is different than what is most often used in New Testament. This word is epignósis, which means an expert knowledge, the ultimate knowledge, and refers to a growing, personal, authentic knowledge, that is practical. Its not just head knowledge, its life knowledge that impacts the way we live.
3. Self-control:  A word that was a Greek word that means to hold oneself together. It spoke of an athlete who would avoid eating certain kinds of food because he wanted to win a race. Notice the flow from knowledge to self control. There is an old saying that goes like this, “we are all educated well beyond our obedience.” There is a gap between what we know and what we do and is why self control is so important.
4. Perseverance: Meaning to bear up under the trial, or hardship, or a difficult circumstance. We’ve all said to someone having a hard time in life, “Hang in there” as if to say, persevere!  
5. Godliness: literally means “godlikeness” and speaks of our relationship to both God and our fellow man. Just as Jesus was a mediator between God and man we have a responsibility to God that is realized in our relationship to our fellow man. Loving God is expressed in our love for our fellow man which is why the next supplement then is naturally
6. Brotherly kindness: Comes from the Greek word, “philadelphia” where we get our city of “brotherly love” from.
7. Love: This love is known as “agape” love is the highest form of love as its God’s kind of love, sacrificial love, a choosing love, a one way love that is independent of everything else. Much of the worlds love and acceptance of others is simply reciprocation but not God. His love is safe and secure because He chooses to love us, a love that is not based on merit but grace.  


“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”

2 Peter 1:8

I LOVE YOU!