May.04.01: Light For The Day - "Take The Initiative" -- 2 Peter 1:5 “..... add to your faith virtue, and virtue with knowledge ”  Add means that we have to do something. We are in  danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does,  and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot  save nor sanctify ourselves—God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will  not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have  to do all that ourselves.  We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God  has worked in us (Philippians 2:12). Add means that  we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the  initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to  make a beginning—to instruct yourself in the way  you must go. Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you  know it perfectly well. Take the initiativ - stop hesitating - take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in  faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and  never reconsider or change your initial decisions.  If you hesitate when God tells you to do something,  you are being careless, spurning the grace in which  you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision  of your will right now, and make it impossible to go  back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying,  “I will write that letter,” or “I will pay that debt”;  and then do it! Make it irrevocable. We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to  God about everything, forming the habit of finding out  what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes,  we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit  has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative  where we are, not where we have not yet been. -- Oswald Chambers ---------------------- -- 2 Peter 1:2-7 (RSV) "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in  the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things  that pertain to life and godliness, through the  knowledge of him who called us to his own  glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious  and very great promises, that through these  you may escape from the corruption that is  in the world because of passion, and become  partakers of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason make every effort to  supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue  with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and  self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness  with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection,  and brotherly affection with love.