Family gathered around the bed of Dominique Bouhours, a seventeenth-century grammarian who was dying. As he took his final breaths, he reportedly said, “I am about to—or I am going to—die; either expression is correct.” Who would care about grammar on their deathbed? Only someone who cared about grammar his entire life.
By the time we reach old age we’re largely set in our ways. We’ve had a lifetime for our choices to harden into habits that calcify into character—good or bad. We are who we’ve chosen to become.
It’s easier to develop godly habits while our character is young and flexible. Peter urges, “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:5–7). Practice these virtues, and “you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 11).
Which traits in Peter’s list are most alive in you? Which qualities still need work? We can’t change who we’ve become, but Jesus can. Ask Him to transform and empower you. It may be a slow, arduous journey, but Jesus specializes in providing exactly what we need. Ask Him to transform your character so you become more and more like Him.
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