Green Oaks Church of Christ
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Bible Correspondence Course
  • Study Materials
    • Sermons
    • Books
    • Video Sermons
    • Printable Studies
  • Thought For The Week
  • Links
  • Members
    • Monthly News

Thought for the Week

​Each week Brother Joe Norton shares his inspirational insights to Scripture.
Joe Norton

Christian Attributes

4/28/2019

 
A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

 These seven attributes that are to be added to a Christian’s faith—appropriately labeled as Christian graces—give us a picture of a maturing process that is to take place in the life of every child of God. In the past eight weeks, we have explored the definitions and applications of each of these attributes.

The beginning point in this process is a solid faith without which we have no basis for a relationship with God. Having that relationship, we add these seven attributes, a building process that will make us a better Christian and will bring us closer to God.

As we develop these attributes, we reach the pinnacle of what God would have us to be: a person whose guiding motivation is love—certainly love for each other but also a devoted love for God that keeps us solidly on the path He has set for His children.

Love

4/21/2019

 
A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
 
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love”
(2 Peter 1:5-7).
 
“Love,” or the word charity in the King James Version, means affection or benevolence. And it is not just an emotion that arises within our hearts from time to time—rather it is the crowning point of Christianity.
 
God the Father loved first by caring for us and by demonstrating His love in sending His Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice Himself for us. Just as God loved and just as Jesus loved, we are to demonstrate our love for them and our love each other.
 
And love cannot be feigned—that is, it must be real. Our love for others covers all aspects of life, but the ultimate demonstration of love is a deep, abiding concern for their spiritual welfare. Our love for them must be to the point that we would do anything possible to help them get to heaven.
 
Love does not overpower obedience to God’s word—we show our love of God by obeying His will. In our personal relationships, we have no problem loving those who love us; however, the kind of love that God requires demands that we love even those who may not treat us properly. 

brotherly kindness

4/14/2019

 
A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
““But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
“Brotherly kindness” means “the love that Christians cherish for each other as brethren.” Thus, we have a brother and sister relationship with one another in God’s spiritual family.
“Kindness” is defined as “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” It is the opposite of being harsh or rash and the opposite of demonstrating anger and bitterness toward another.
God is our Heavenly Father, and we are His children in Jesus Christ; consequently, we are to have the same kind of love and concern for one another that a physical family does. And, as Peter explains, it is to be an “unfeigned” feeling, one that is real and not phony.

Godliness

4/7/2019

 
A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
 
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge
“to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,”   (2 Peter 1:6).
 
“Godliness” means “reverence, true piety toward God.” True reverence for anyone means we have total respect for that person (or, in this case, for that Being).
 
To exhibit the characteristic of godliness, Christians must, first, base their lives upon the truth of God’s word and then make a practical application of the principles they have learned therein—that is, they live their lives according to those principles.
 
Living a godly life—adding godliness to our faith—means living the way Jesus would live. Since we are imperfect humans, we will not attain the perfection Jesus possesses; but that’s the goal or the moral standard He wants us to set.

    Joe Norton

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Attitude
    Christian Living
    Commitment
    Conformity
    Dealing With Life
    Endurance
    Faith
    God
    Goodness
    Jesus
    Peace
    Serious Seer
    Sin
    Thankfulness
    The Word
    Truth
    Wisdom
    Workers

    RSS Feed

4601 SW Green Oaks Blvd. Arlington, TX 76017
Service Times: Sundays 10:00 & 2:30.  Wednesdays 7:30
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Bible Correspondence Course
  • Study Materials
    • Sermons
    • Books
    • Video Sermons
    • Printable Studies
  • Thought For The Week
  • Links
  • Members
    • Monthly News