John Mulligan continues through 2 Peter, picking up at verse 5 with a truth every believer needs to hear: the same God who saved you by grace is now calling you to grow. After laying out everything God has done for us — forgiveness, divine power, escape from the corruption of sin — Peter pivots and says, in effect, now here's what we do with it. "Make every effort," he writes, "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." God's promises are not meant to leave us where we were. They provoke personal growth.

What follows is a picture of the Christian life not as a checklist to complete but as a set of qualities to keep working on, like a professional athlete who never stops practicing. Goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and finally love — not the sentimental kind, but the sacrificial kind, the same word used for how Christ loved the church. These seven things will keep a believer busy for a lifetime, at work, at home, at church, in the car, at the grocery store. You will stumble at them. You will recognize your own weak spots. The goal is not perfection but persistence. Keep getting back up, Peter says. Keep working on your game. And through God's grace to forgive when we fail, He will one day say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."