What is the first math we learn as kids? That’s right! Addition! Probably because it’s the easiest—at least when you’re counting on fingers and toes. LOL But it doesn’t take long before you’re learning to subtract like when someone eats one of your cookies. Then there’s the calculation of bigger numbers that take a lot more mental processing. I don’t know about you, but my brain doesn’t compute so easily anymore and I’ve become dependent on a calculator.
Sometimes the addition of different things makes life better. Take, for instance, adding color to an otherwise drab room or painting. However, if you go overboard, it can get a cluttered feel to it and actually take away from the original setting instead of becoming a welcome addition.
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound,
they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
II Peter 1:5-8, KJV
The Bible gives us a very important lesson in addition in the above verses. It’s like building a tower of blocks. Be diligent and start with faith, adding virtue, then knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally charity. If you leave out one of those, your tower of spiritual maturity will fall apart.
Adding to anything makes it bigger. Take a bank account…adding another deposit to it makes the total balance bigger. Stocking your freezer with the addition of meat, vegetables, ice cream, and other goodies fills it. The addition of a pet or new family member expands the love in your home. Putting an addition onto your home adds square feet and more living space to it. These are all good things.
The addition of some things can be a burden or add stress. Take a person who takes on too many extra hours at work. That may not be the best addition to their life. Or a person who loves baked goods…adding extra calories and weight can be a problem for their body.
I’ve always carried a lot in my purse. Every time I take something out and try to downsize to something smaller, that item is just the thing I don’t have with me and need. But the additional weight on my shoulder causing neck and shoulder pain caused me to do things differently. Instead of a shoulder bag, I started carrying a bag at my opposite side.
What have you added into your life that may not be the best thing for you at this time? Maybe it’s time to switch to subtraction and remove it.
What do you need to add into your life? It could be exercise, diet, free time, spending time with friends and family, or most importantly having fellowship with the Lord…reading His Word, meditating, and praying.
Addition can be a good thing or a not-so-good thing. Be careful what and how much you are adding. If you want to have that perfect peace in life, there are definitely things that can get in the way of that peace as well as things that will calm and soothe. If it’s God’s perfect peace that you truly want, there is only one source—God Himself. As far as the quantity, He gives beyond measure, as much as we want and ask for. If we don’t want it, He won’t give it. If we don’t ask, we won’t receive.
If you don’t add things to your life, you will by default be subtracting. If you don’t add food and water to your body, it will be subtracting from the store you have and deplete its resources. The same is true of our spiritual resources. We need to keep adding knowledge and inspiration from the Word of God so we can keep growing.
How’s your math calculations going???
Leave a Reply