How do we become more like Christ? How do we leave behind the corruption in this world that is caused by evil desires and move closer to sharing in the divine nature of Jesus? Through His divine power, Jesus has given us all that we need to live a godly life, to become more like Him (2 Peter 1:3-4).
The second letter of the apostle, Peter, provides us with a list of what is needed–seven qualities that will help us to be more fruitful in our Christian lives. These qualities move us closer to becoming like Jesus and help us to keep from falling away. As followers of Christ, Jesus is, or should be, the center of our lives. When we move closer to the center, we become less likely to stumble and fall back into the pit from which He has rescued us.
The qualities that we need to possess are goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. All of these qualities should be added to our faith. We should not just try to attain them, we should seek them diligently. We need to make every effort to attain them. When we add these qualities to our faith in increasing measure, we become both effective and productive in our knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 1:5-8). When we are more effective and productive in our knowledge of Him, we become more like Him.
On the other hand, if we do not work diligently at possessing these qualities, we are near-sighted and blind. We no longer remember that we have been cleansed from the sins of our past. We become more susceptible to falling away. But, when we do make our best effort to attain them, we will never stumble and we will be welcomed richly into Christ’s eternal kingdom.
A Worshiper's Journal 