By Maxie Heppell

“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given,
complementing your basic faith with good character,
spiritual understanding,
alert discipline,
passionate patience,
reverent wonder,
warm friendliness,
and generous love,
each dimension fitting into and developing the others.
With these qualities active and growing in your lives,
no grass will grow under your feet,
no day will pass without its reward as you mature
in your experience of our Master Jesus.”

2 Peter 1:5 The Message

This year is the beginning of new things for a whole bunch of people close to me. New jobs, new environments, new beginnings and all the excitement and trepidation that goes with it.

One thing that is so nice about this is the chance to start a new measure-myself booklet.

You know? That brand new page you turn over in your relationships at work, your attitude towards authority, your commitment to the task that is assigned to you.

But according to Petrus, it shouldn’t just be a new work thing. According to him, it is supposed to form part of the daily routine of everyone who calls himself or herself a follower of Jesus.

The faith we have received, it is a gift after all – the cake plate on which we build.

Now it is filled with layers of good character in which I will try to do the right thing in every situation. Which will mean I have to learn what is the right thing to do.

I do this when I dig deeper into my knowledge of the Lord, when I discover where the air pockets in me have been understood, so that I can fill them with solid truths.

The layers become more and I add discipline of a spiritual nature. That which asks something of me. Time, most of the time.

When I do this, the stack becomes easier because the more time I devote to building my Godly character, the more passionate patience I have with others who are building their own stacks.

Patience and warm, friendly love from the cup of my grateful memory is then generously poured over for everyone around me to enjoy.

When we do this, says Peter, not a day will pass in which we will not be rewarded.

Those who work for a reward in their bank account every 30 days, will quickly find that it is never enough.

Those who work for the praise of the Lord, be surprised with daily bonuses in the most unexpected places!