VIRTUE

As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and VIRTUE – 2 Peter 1:3

Praise to the Almighty God for ushering us into June – our Month of VIRTUE. God has called us by virtue, for virtue, and into virtue (2Pet.1:3). We shall be taking a Prophetic Adventure into the World of Virtues. The word virtue has different shades of meaning. In biblical usage however, virtue assumes two main interpretations. First is a meaning akin to: “power, miraculous energy or influence” as used in Mark 5:30, “And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes”?” Also, “And the whole multitude sough to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all” (Lk.6:19). Virtue in this sense speaks of tangible anointing, God’s divine energy. By God’s grace we shall dwell on this theme in greater detail in the days ahead.

The second connotation of Virtue refers to a trait or disposition of character that leads to the demonstration of admirable behaviour or the manifestation of commendable conduct. Virtue could refer to the display of courage, courtesy, compassion, discipline, generosity, goodness, humility, integrity, kindness, modesty, self-control or wisdom in life. A virtuous person demonstrates positive personal and inter-personal qualities. He or she exhibits self-respect and moral goodness, treats others fairly and with dignity, esteems others highly, and values the sanctity of life. Virtuous persons possess moral excellence and ethics, pursue high spiritual standards, and make sound biblical choices in life. A Life of Virtue demands diligence and discipline: “giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control, perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2Pet.1:5-7).

A life of virtue is morally and spiritually dynamic, never satisfied with the “status quo,” always pressing up the upward way, scaling new heights every day. Paul presented to the believers in Philippi, a splendid list of some virtues: “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse” (Phil.4:8, Message). What great and enlivening themes these are: the virtues of truth, nobility, justice, purity, beauty, graciousness, praiseworthiness, and excellence. Apparently then, a biblical definition of virtue are things that are true, noble, just or fair, pure or holy, amiable or lovely, and things of good report – such as the reports of people doing excellent things for God. Virtues like these are deeply lacking in today’s world – a world filled with vices and depravities. But we can make the difference!

Christians are to be salt and light in a sour, sin-soaked, darkened world (Mt.5:13-16). God revealed through the Apostle Peter, the source of all Virtue: “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and VIRTUE, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Pet 1:3-4). Only God’s divine power can enable us to escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust.” This demands a lot more than human effort; it takes divine power, but such is available to all who trust in Him. His power enables us to practise and manifest holiness and godliness. Beloved, get set for divine equipping, growth, maturity, and character reconstruction as we set out on this Prophetic Adventure into the World of VIRTUE!