We can be cheerful rather than grudging about obeying God’s commands. We do not have to be at the mercy of our feelings. We have it within us to subject our feelings to God’s will, so that we grow in our ability to love the things God wants us to do.
The plan God has devised to save us is for the purpose of renewing us in His own image, as well as rescuing us from our punishment. As Christians, we’re involved in the process of being transformed “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18).
In worship, neither spirit nor truth can be ignored. As we live and work and study our Bibles, let’s remember to do the right thing, but let’s also remember to do it with the right heart. Those who worship God must worship “in spirit and truth.”
Steering by an uncertain, error-prone standard will not get us to the destination we desire. Only the perfect authority of God’s truth will do that. This week, let’s resolve that we will search the Scriptures to settle matters of right and wrong.
Let’s make this week one of growth in the quality of our conversations with others and about others. If we can diminish the problem of gossip in our daily speech, we will help ourselves and we will help the congregation of which we are members.
Let’s strive for a more sober attitude about the Scriptures. Rather than haphazardly tossing around opinions about the Bible, let’s think about the fact that our souls, and very likely the souls of others, depend on how carefully we study God’s word.
We know we should pray, and we do pray at certain times. But we need to pray more. Prayer should be an important part of our everyday lives. Communion with our Heavenly Father in prayer should be a part of the very fabric of our way of living.
There is one thing we can be sure of: God is always interested in what is good for us in the long run. Because He is, there are times when He allows events to unfold in such a way that we, and those around us, learn from our mistakes the hard way.
This week, let’s make it a priority to check up on ourselves. Are we growing closer to God from day to day? If not, we may be growing the other direction without realizing it. Let’s make sure, at whatever cost, that we do not lose our salvation.
Our eternal destiny will depend on what we did when we had to chose between alternatives. Do we realize the importance of our choices? Are we willing to take responsibility for them? And most important, are we ready to begin making better choices?
