Daily Reading for Personal Growth, 40 Days with God

⁵ For this very reason, ^[a]adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in ^[b]exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),

⁶ And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),

⁷ And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.

⁸ For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [^[c]full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [^[d]spiritually] shortsighted, ^[e]seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.

¹¹ Thus there will be richly and abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.