2nd Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This passage of scripture shows us the need for us to grow and develop in a balanced manner, by the grace of God, for no area of our lives must be left unchecked, to run riot at any moment when sudden temptation comes our way. It is of critical importance for us to cooperate with God in the development of a well-balanced and fine-tuned Christian character of sterling quality, that will be able to withstand the forces of evil without and within, through the merits and power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some of us have not fully realized how very important the above passage is, and for that reason, elements in our characters that have the potential to cause us harm and bring disgrace upon the cause of Christ, are either overlooked or reasoned away on one pretext or another.
The question is often asked how could a spiritual person like David, who wrote so many soul-inspiring psalms in the Bible, and who experienced such a personal walk with God, then succumb to such grievous errors, as to kill a man and take his wife. A crime such as this in our day, by such a prominent religious leader, would certainly make the news headlines for several consecutive months, or even years, and the tabloids of the day such as the national enquirer, would no doubt have a feeding frenzy over something as grave as this.
Now it's very important for us to understand that studying the Bible and writing out religious material, whilst good in itself, does not necessarily translate into good behavior on a continual basis, and therefore it is of critical importance for God-faring men and women to always have Christ before their faces, so that we may recognize our own frailties and turn to God for help in uprooting those stubborn sinful desires, that often lay dormant in the dark recesses of our minds. Although David's temptation was sudden, yet the act of itself was the result of leaving elements in his character unchecked, and failing to pray everyday for grace to help in time of need.
It is very important for us to remember where and what God has saved us from, for we all have had skeletons in our closets, prior to accepting Christ, and although the blood of Jesus does cleanse us from all sin, yet it is necessary that at each stage of our development, for us to constantly abide in Him, for if we were to let go of His omnipotent arm for any reason, by trusting to our own righteousness, those old skeletons can, and will be resurrected and fanned into life by the fierce and determined assaults of the enemy, and like David we can be driven to do and say things that we never dreamed possible. This statement of fact is clearly delineated in the scriptures with the hope that all would-be citizens of heaven may take note and walk soberly at all times. Let's read:
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
The one and only cure for this type of spiritual malady is to be found in Christ at all times and in all places, so that a continuous and uninterrupted growth in grace may be our experience each day. We do not have it within ourselves to run the Christian race on automatic, and if we desire the well-rounded and fine-tuned character that can be ours through Christ, we will need to have Jesus in our vessels each day, for by beholding we will become changed. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this point, and it is the will of God that we climb the proverbial Jacob's ladder, one rung and one day at a time. Let's read:
Matthew 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!