In your relationship with . . .
GOD: Be prayerful. Remember dependence and helplessness in your relationship with God are prerequisites for spiritual health. How about a thorough spiritual check-up this year? (2 Corinthians 13:5).
OTHERS: Be helpful. Make a commitment to show love and encouragement to someone everyday (Romans 14:19-22). Challenge yourself to be kind and helpful especially to those who least expect it (Ephesians 4:32).
YOUR MIND: Read and think about something noble and creative every day (Philippians 4:8). Start the day with the Bible. Let the words of life fill your heart and mind before anything else gets to them!
FEELINGS: Express them with love and honesty. Whether fear, guilt, grief, rage, shame, or anxiety, express your feelings to God, self, and a trusted friend (Proverbs 27:5; 1 Peter 3:7).
ACTIONS: Be generous. Without thought of reward or praise be extravagant in your giving to others (2 Corinthians 9:7). Give freely of your love, time, money, spirit, creativity, encouragement, and praise. Don’t be stingy with the most important and powerful gifts in your possession, let your actions reflect the startling love of God!
SUCCESSES: Be thankful (Colossians 3:15). Most if not all of our successes are the result of God’s grace not our cleverness or hard work. Count your blessings regularly.
TROUBLES: Be trustful. For some mysterious reason, many times, God has chosen to make us mature through trials and hardships (Hebrews 12:6-10). Look for the hand of God in every circumstance and trust His guidance in the highs and lows of life.
HEART: Be careful (Proverbs 23:7). Focus your love on the Father and Savior who reside within you. Be careful what you allow to creep in to this sacred space which belongs to God.
WORSHIP: Be still (Psalm 46:10). Expressing your love and adoration to God isn’t reserved for Sundays only. Don’t get too busy throughout the week to make continual offerings of praise to God. Jesus is Lord of every day!
SIN: Be repentant. Don’t let any sin harden your heart or break the connection between you and God. Confess your sins to the Father every day (1 John 1:6-10). Claim His promises that forgive you and make you pure and clean by the Blood of Jesus!—Dean Fitch
Great piece. I would like to have had the last one on sin elaborated on just a little more. I fear that too many people think that they are covered by the Blood of Jesus just by confessing and attempting to repent. True for the children of Christ. Not so for those that have not been baptized into Christ. Many don’t have a clue about the difference. This is an outstanding guideline. Thanks you.
Amen, Dennis.
Hoping and praying that those who read this last segment on “sin” will realize and understand that the only “remedy for sin” is the blood of Christ which was shed for the whole world. And it (His blood) can only be accessed at the place where it was shed – in His death (Romans 6:3-11; John 14:6; 3:3-7; Acts 2:38-41, 47; Galatians 3:27; I Peter 3:20-21). We cannot be “saved from our past sins” without them being washed away (“blotted out”) by the blood of Christ in the watery grave of baptism, after which we are “raised to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
BELIEVE