Spicing Up Your Faith
2 Peter 1:5
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;"
Have you ever tasted something that seemed to be bland and thought to yourself that the cook needed to spice up the flavor by adding some trimmings to it? When my wife cooks a meal, she will often add spices to the food to help the food taste a little better. The food alone is good, but adding to the food makes it more palatable. God said that Christians need to spice up their faith by adding to it. In other words, faith by itself can be bland, but adding to your faith will make it palatable for yourself and those whom you try to influence or win to Christ. Let me show God's spices that He wants you to use to add flavor to your faith.
First, add the spice of virtue to your faith. Virtue is excellence. In other words, God wants Christians to strive for excellence in all that they do for Him. A faith that simply tries to get by is a faith that is bland to you and those whom you are around. Don't just try to do your best when you do things for God, but strive for excellence. Excellence always makes a person's faith more palatable.
Second, add the spice of knowledge to your faith. Ignorance is no excuse for a Christian. Every Christian should strive to become more knowledgeable about the Word of God. A Christian who only does things because someone tells them to, is a Christian whose faith is very bland. On the other hand, a Christian who can back up their faith because of their knowledge of the Scriptures is a Christian whose faith has flavor. The more knowledgeable you are of God and life, the more flavor you will add to your faith.
Third, add the spice of temperance to your faith. A Christian who has no self-control is a Christian whose faith is not worthy of tasting. Christians needs to control their temper. Christians need to control their emotions. Christians need to control their physical appetites. A person who practices temperance is a person who is in complete control of their being. When people see a Christian who is in control of themselves, then their faith is more flavorful because they will want to be the same way.
Fourth, add the spice of patience to your faith. Patience is not an easy thing to have at all times, but you must learn to be patient with people and with God. A faith without patience is a faith that will make wrong decisions. Let patience make your faith more tasteful.
Fifth, add the spice of godliness to your faith. Strive to be more like God in all that you do. The more godliness you add to your faith, the more balance you add to your faith. When people see that you act like God, then they will want a taste of your faith.
Sixth, add the spice of kindness to your faith. Anybody can be kind. You don't have to be a jerk to be a Christian. A Christian who is kind to people is a Christian who will cause others to want to be around them. Be kind to everybody, for you never know what they are going through in their life.
Last, add the spice of love to your faith. Love is the garnish that will cause all these other spices to taste better. Love people when they are unloveable. Love people when others forsake them. Love people for who they are and not for what they can do for you.
Let me ask you, is your faith bland? Do people see your faith and want it because it seems palatable to them? Don't just add one of these spices to the recipe of your Christian life, but add all of them. A Christian life that has added all of these spices to it will be a life that will give the taste to others that Christ wants them to have.