Colossians 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
"Why should I" or "what will I get out of it"
Selfish ambition can keep us away from God.
James 122 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
We ought to look at the instructions in the Bible on how to act and begin putting them into practice.
How many of us are honest, really honest.
Ephesians 4:25 NKJV Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
Are we doing "good" to our enemies?
Matthew 5:44 NKJV But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Are we wise in our own opinion?
Are we humble?
Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
The instructions are clear and there are many. Yet if we have a habit of reading the Bible and not doing what it says then we may be enslaved to sin. Breaking free from such habits/slavery will require replacing the habit with new and different action.
Breaking habits involve going against our preprogrammed responses. This will be uncomfortable. It will require extra effort, self discipline, and a continued focus.
Many of us may not be ready for such a task no matter how noble or important it may be. Ask any addict.
Fortunately the path of breaking free can be a slow progressive movement. We won't have to be perfect or give up everything. We just need to do a little bit more each day to align ourselves more with God. Just a little here and there can be transformative. Surrounding ourselves with others doing the same thing can do a lot to shape our focus and goals more to God. Starting a focused group on the great commandment is always a good positive step.
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