Week 3: Virtue
…add to your faith virtue (2 Peter 1:5b)
It’s already week three of the Summer Reading Challenge! Hope you’re keeping up!
Ready for this week’s theme? Last week we learned how the word “add” carries the idea of choreographing a theatrical performance at one’s own expense. This week we are going to talk about what we can add to our faith: virtue! Now virtue is probably a word that you’ve heard about a lot. But do you know what it really means?
Theme
The theme of this week’s challenge is VIRTUE.
Origin of the Word
The word virtue comes from the Greek word arete (pronunciation: ar-et’-ay).
ἀρετή
Definition:
Manliness (valor), i.e. Excellence (intrinsic or attributed)—praise, virtue.
Read the blog for 5 points.
Hear ye, Hear ye!
A quest has been issued forth by the King to YOU!
Add to your faith, virtue…
Gather ‘round everyone, and travel back with me to the time of castles and kings, knights on horses, and damsels in distress. It is here that we will find the word we are looking for; a character trait that has almost been lost in time—virtue, or manly valor.
The Greek word for virtue in 2 Peter 1 is arete (pronounced ar-et’-ay) and can be translated as virtue, excellence, or, as I mentioned earlier, manly valor. Arete carries the idea of reaching your fullest potential—of living with a code of excellence and virtue just like the knights of long ago who were unwavering in their commitment to the king.
Now, you may be wondering, what is my fullest potential? Don’t worry about finding that out right now! We cannot discover our full potential until we put arete into practice. So then, the real question is, how do we practice arete? Arete is practiced when our standard for living is based on excellence that requires manly valor. It is giving our “best” in every area, especially in our moral, intellectual, social, ethical, creative, spiritual, physical, and relational lives.
Virtue, arete, or manly valor, is a strength of mind, character, body, and soul that far exceeds anything we could do on our own. Ahhem! Did you hear that? We can’t do this on our own! The kind of virtue Peter is talking about is one that flows from a life that partners with God himself. That is why he wrote in 2nd Peter 1:4 that, “[we] might become partners of the divine nature.”
Arete is not just the stuff of legends. Peter says that God has called us (you and me) to His own glory and virtue (2 Pet. 1:3)—meaning that you too can add excellence, virtue and manly valor to your faith (and you don’t have to be a man). You just need a desire and will to obey your King no matter what! But remember this important truth,
“It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure'“ (Phil. 2:13).
So, do not be dismayed, young follower of the King! God works in you to add virtue to your faith, and He does this because it brings Him great pleasure. How wonderful is that?! God delights in creating virtue in your life because it brings Him great pleasure and you great freedom and joy.
Now, this is a high calling, and not one to be taken lightly. Would you like to join me on this noble quest? With God’s help I think we can do it!
So, where do we start? With a pure heart; that is, putting away the things that do not please God. Whether we struggle with lying, having a bad attitude, giving in to laziness, or overindulging (just one more scoop of ice cream, please!), we need to do what the knights did in the olden days and get out our sword (SWORD of the Spirit) and fight!
But we can’t just put off bad things and move along in our merry-old-way. We must first replace those bad things with something good. That’s why it’s important to “add” the new disciplines that cultivate virtue, like, getting up on time, studying the Bible, reading good books, exercising, working hard, and so on and so forth. Then we can truly fight the battles against the sins of sleeping in, eating junk food, wasting time on screens, etc…
In the legend of Sir Galahad (one of the knights of the round table) we read,
“His strength was as the strength of ten because his heart was pure.”
A pure and virtuous heart is where we find the help and strength needed to continue adding to our faith. Think of this as polishing your armor before you go out to war. If you don’t keep it clean, it will become rusty and useless. In the same way, we need to keep removing those things from our lives that stunt our growth in the Lord. So, my friend, may we grow in purity, holiness, and, (as we will discuss in the coming weeks) knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
With these thoughts in mind, saddle your horse, put on the full armor of God, and muster all the manly valor you can as we continue to give all diligence in adding to our faith!
Go in the name of the King!
Rainey
Weekly Bible Memory:
25 points per passage (up to 3 verses constitute a passage)
Ages 6-10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Ages 10-13
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Ages 14+
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:10-13).
Weekly Bible Reading:
5 points per chapter read (any chapter of the Bible may be read anytime during the challenge for 5 points each)
The book of Ephesians
Reading List for Virtue:
1 point per page read (any Lamplighter book/Lamplighter resource book/non-fiction [biography, spiritual growth, informational] may be ready anytime throughout the challenge for 1 point per page)
Ages 6+
Ages 9+
Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince
Ages 12+
Creative Assignment: Coat of Arms
25 points (one-time activity)
In the Medieval ages, a coat of arms would be the symbol of a family or a knight and would be used to show your identity in a battle. As believers, we want to show the world that we fight for our King, Jesus Christ. For this week’s creative assignment, you get to create your own coat of arms that represents who you are as a servant of the King of kings!
First, sketch out a few variations of what you want your coat of arms to look like, and then choose your favorite one. Then draw out the top pick in pencil, go over the lines with pen or marker, and bring it to life with markers, colored pencils, or paint. You can hang the finished crest on your wall to remind you to add virtue (many valor) to your faith every day!
*Submit your Creative Assignment to Lamplighter HERE and award yourself 15 bonus points! Assignments need to be submitted by June 17, 2024, in order to receive the bonus points.
Practical Assignment: Adding Virtue
50 points (one-time activity)
Make a list of 5 habits that are NOT cultivating virtue, excellence, or manly valor in your life (i.e. sleeping in, eating unhealthy food, wasting time online, reading garbage books). Also, consider any unholy thoughts or attitudes you may be holding on to, and add them to the list as well.
Then, make a list of ways you can start to replace those bad habits with habits that WILL develop virtue in your life, and start to do them, asking God to help you. Make an effort to be disciplined in getting up (and going to bed) at a good time, keeping your room tidy, and making your appearance neat (brushing your hair, wearing nice clothes) every day, etc.
Helpful advice: Find someone to do this project with you that will keep you accountable. Whether that is a sibling, a friend, a parent, or a grandparent—we all need help building Virtue in our lives.
*Submit a testimony (written or video) of how this assignment helped you HERE and award yourself 15 bonus points! Assignments need to be submitted by June 17, 2024, in order to receive the bonus points.
Additional Resources on Diligence:
5 points each
Blog - Men of Valor
Blog - Excellence in the Arts
Don’t forget to tag us @lamplighterministries
on social media to share with us how you and your family are completing the challenge!
