The Christian life should be a bountiful life. Not necessarily bountiful in material things, but bountiful in qualities that are above and beyond what we conclude are normal. The apostle Peter outlines for us all the benefits and resultant behaviors that should characterize a Christian.

First of all, in 2 Peter 1:4 we are told that Christians "may participate in the divine nature." This is the key. A genuine Christian is a person who has been born again--that is, indwelt by the living Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. That indwelling is by the grace of God.

Grace cannot be earned by any effort on our part, but it is imparted as we move toward God, seeking Him for the different aspects of grace available to every Christian. James 4:6 tells us that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Grace comes as we submit to God in humility and obedience.

We are told in 2 Peter 1:5 to "make every effort to add to [our] faith...." This effort is the process of humbling ourselves before God, seeking Him, and following His directions.

Faith is the foundation. Faith is the confidence we have in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are to add to faith "goodness," which is also termed virtue. Virtue is strength and courage in our spiritual journey.

To goodness, or virtue, we are to add knowledge, specifically the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Every believer's pattern is the life of Jesus Christ. He lived and taught the principles of the kingdom of God. There is a template from the life of Christ for every circumstance we encounter.

To knowledge we are to add self-control (2 Peter 1:6). Self-control is also called temperance. To be able to exercise self-control is the inner desire of every person. Secular self-help books are huge sellers. People with addictions desperately yearn for enough self-control to break free, and diet books and diets help dominate the market. Self-control is a work of grace, and as we determine to change certain patterns in our lives, we know that we can only do so by the grace of God and the power of the indwelling Christ.

Next is perseverance. Perseverance is simply the will to keep on keeping on. The power of God is not at issue; it is our determination to keep on trusting and obeying.

To perseverance we are to add godliness, or God-likeness. This is a result of having the knowledge of Christ permeate our lives. We're acquainted with the WWJD phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" If we know the life of Christ, we will know how to be godly.

To godliness we are to add brotherly kindness. We can try to be kind in our own strength, and we usually succeed with people we like or who respond positively to our efforts; it's when our efforts to be kind are rebuffed, or when we are persecuted for kindness, that we need the power of God.

To brotherly kindness we are to add love, which completes the circle. Faith in Christ is the foundation; love is the motivator and the glue that holds it all together. Love must be love for God first, and second, love for people.

The Christian life is meant to be bountiful, and the bounty may be enjoyed by every person who comes in contact with a Christian.