Day 18 β Why be virtuous?
βπΉππ π‘βπ πππβπ‘πππ’π πΏπππ πππ£ππ ππ’π π‘πππ. πβπ π£πππ‘π’ππ’π π€πππ π ππ βππ ππππ.β ππ ππππ 11:7
One might think that simply having faith would be sufficient, right? I mean, as Christians, we already have so many disciplines to uphold, such as Bible study, prayer, fasting, and being fruitful through the Spirit, just to name a few.
βThe virtuousβ is a collective used for us who earnestly seek to obey and act on the Word of God. Who diligently keep their lamps full and daily choose to withstand all the desires of the world and seek Godβs Kingdom. Who loves Godβs justice and understands that our righteousness is not of our own works, but from the gift of salvation Jesus gave us all. Our virtuousness is identified through our identity in who Jesus transformed us to be and to bring glory and honour to God.
But striving to be virtuous isn’t just something we aim for; it also comes with a promise: “The virtuous will see his face.” I was deeply moved by God’s goodness and realised that this promise isn’t often featured in inspirational verse images or “Promises of God” reading lists. It is a promise for those of us who seek the Lord in all and obediently act on His Word through love.
Where the doctrine of the Seven Sins points to the end destination of death, the Seven Virtuous points to the promise of seeing the face of our Creator, the lover of our souls.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the opportunity to share and unpack this doctrine that has captivated people for all the wrong reasons. Thank You, Lord, for the virtues and the promise for βThe virtuousβ. I pray that You remind us of these seven virtues in our daily walk with You and guide us to change our thoughts and doings to align with Your Word. Amen.
