“Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And this was my reward from all my labor.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
Solomon proved for himself what so many since his time have had to prove again and again for themselves: materialism and sensualism are not the answer to a satisfying life.
Possessing extreme wealth so that he could have anything he desired and having tried everything he could think of to find satisfaction, Solomon concluded that these things brought him neither pleasure nor satisfaction—they were of no profit.
In his pursuit, he found himself “grasping for the wind,” that is, trying to take hold of that which has no substance—of that which amounts to “nothing.” The overriding message of his conclusion is that satisfaction comes not from the material and sensual but from the spiritual.

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.
“for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
“for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 1:5-11).
 
When Peter teaches that adding these attributes will put one into a position that he will “never stumble,” he means the Christian creates a strong defense against falling and losing his salvation. Otherwise, this teaching contradicts the teaching in the first part of verse ten: that a Christian has the choice of making his call and election sure.
 
Christians work diligently to “supply” the Christian attributes, and God supplies the “entrance.” With this combination, we have an “abundant” opportunity to go to heaven.
 
Those who have been faithful to God will be admitted into the “everlasting kingdom” that Jesus has prepared for us. It is His kingdom and He will deliver it to His Father at the end of the world—it will last forever, never to be destroyed.

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.
“for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
“for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 1:5-11).
 
“Therefore” means because the development of these attributes leads the Christian to a deeper understanding of Jesus and His sacrifice, he or she should be even more diligent to secure the eternal reward that has been made possible.
 
“Diligent” carries with it the idea of not stopping but continuing in their intensity to add these seven attributes to their faith. “Call” refers to the gospel call that goes out to all people. Jesus first issued this call when He said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
 
“Election” is the result of the Christian’s acceptance of the gospel call. It is up to each individual as to whether he answers that call. God has given us the freedom to choose.

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.
“for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”
(2 Peter 1:5-9).

Peter, in verses eight and nine, shows the natural consequence of Christians’ adding these seven attributes to their lives.
 “Yours” means they must internalize them, that is, they must make them an integral part of their way of thinking and of their behavior.
 “Abound” means these attributes must not be surface actions—they must be carried out not just with sincerity but also with intensity. Christians who do so will bear fruit for the Lord and will have a deeper understanding (‘knowledge’) of the Lord.
 Without these attributes, Christians are “shortsighted,” that is, they can’t look back and remember their former lives when they were without the Lord. Formerly, like us, they were sinners without spiritual hope; now they have an awareness of the blessing of Jesus and of the forgiveness He provides.

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).
 
While the word is translated “temperance” in the King James Version, scholars agree it is better translated “self-control.” A definition of this word is “the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites.” A literal meaning is “one who holds himself in.”
 
Even though this definition is well accepted, the concept of self-control applies to all aspects of our lives, not just to our sensual side. As Christians, we must grow to the point we can “self-govern” our own lives, not giving in to the various temptations thrown into our pathway.
 
This kind of self-restraint or self-discipline can come only after we have increased our knowledge of what God desires, leading us to a deep, abiding, and courageous faith that we are not hesitant to share with others.

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,” (2 Peter 1:5).
“Virtue” means “a virtuous course of thought, feeling, and action,” that is, moral excellence or moral goodness. It means a person has determined to do what is right. The literal meaning is to “supply in your faith” virtue.
One writer says virtue is “Christian manliness and active courage in the good fight of faith,” communicating the idea that virtue is not reticent but rather it is a picture of strength and power.
Virtue, then, enhances faith, giving  a Christian the strength and moral courage to make his faith known, regardless of the situation.

 “ ‘Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly” (2 Kings 20.3).
 
Having received a message telling him he is going to die, King Hezekiah tearfully pleads with God and presents the case that he has been a true and faithful servant and has lived a good life in full obedience to Him.
 
God hears Hezekiah’s prayer and observes the depth of his sincerity because of all of his tears and decides to grant the King fifteen more years of life.
 
Even though we don’t have the kind of direct relationship with God that Hezekiah had, we do have the opportunity to live according to truth and we have the opportunity to live a life that is good because it is based on instructions found in God’s word. Doing so will grant us favor with God—spiritual treasures—as we pass into eternity.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
“knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).
Writing to give encouragement and correction, James, the brother of the Lord, sends this message to spiritual Israel—that is, Jews who have been converted to Christianity.

This book actually contains practical teaching for Christians as they deal with the realities of life: James recognizes that the people to whom he is writing are humans who are tested and sometimes stumble spiritually along the way. But he gives them hope by encouraging them to be joyful in the Lord and to endure patiently whatever comes their way.

 Exhortation like this is appropriate for Christians in every Age. Who does not endure testing? Who does not become discouraged from time to time? Who does not stumble? The answer is: we all do. James says we are to endure with patience and allow our trials to be stepping stones for an even stronger faith.