Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions (or set goals) for this new year?

Two of the most common goals people set are…

1) Attend to my spiritual life more consistently, and

2) Attend to my physical life more consistently (usually meaning exercise and diet).

Whether you are still on track with your goals, or have already fallen behind in the first 10 days of this year (which is more common than most people think), here is one suggestion I’ve found helpful over the years that has helped to increase my consistency in all areas of my life.

Starting is half done

Many times, half the battle is just getting started.

I enjoy long-distance running, but unfortunately, I don’t always feel like doing it on my scheduled days. On the tough days, I’ve found that if I simply tell myself to “change into your running clothes and put your running shoes on… and walk out the door” (I run on a trail in my neighborhood), 99% of the time I actually end up running.

The same could be said about personal devotions.

Make a plan – determine a time, a place (your desk, a comfortable chair, your office, etc.) and what you will do during that time each day.

For example:

• Bible Reading (15 minutes) (read three chapters in the OT and one chapter in the NT).
• Prayer (15 minutes) (use the C.T.S. acronym to guide you as you pray – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). Make a simple prayer list of things you want to specifically pray and thank God for each day.

Then if you want to add writing in a journal or Scripture memory and meditation (which I highly encourage), you can do so.

This will give you a plan of what to do when you sit down to have your devotions.

Also, as a side note, I would discourage having your digital device(s) on (or even near you) when you have your devotions.

We live in the most distracted culture in history… we need to push against the prevailing winds of “always on technology” in our world today.

If there is ever a time when we should truly “disconnect” digitally, it is when we are seeking to enjoy God’s presence and refocus our heart and mind.

A healthy spiritual life comes as we make small daily decisions to interact with God and His Word and seek to apply what we learn to our lives.

Sit down in your “place,” at your “time” and open your Bible…and start.

Starting, many times, is half done.

I’ve always had an interest in learning what lessons others have gleaned throughout their pastoral ministry – in particular, as they look back upon their years with greater wisdom and insight. I wrote my own series of what I’ve learned over my first 30 years in ministry back in 2010 here.

I share many of my own lessons with pastors all over the world. And what never ceases to amaze me is how the stories and lessons learned are so similar, even across diverse cultures… whether in Africa, Asia or Latin America. We’re all made in the image of God. We’re all broken sinners in need of a Savior… no matter where we live.

A few months ago Kevin DeYoung, Sr. Pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC and board chairman of The Gospel Coalition, wrote about what he has learned in his years of ministry.

Here are two of the thoughts he shared…

“I often tell people that when I came to URC I told the search committee that my philosophy of ministry boiled down to three P’s: preach, pray, and be with people. Those are all really good. They’re still what I want to do in ministry.

“But I’ve had to learn a fourth P, and that is patience.

“I know I was naïve in how change happens—how long it takes to address things and how you have to build up trust and confidence.

“I always joke about when I first came there were some particular issues that I told the elders would be taken care of in six months. Then I said, well maybe in another six months. Then I said six years. And now I think, well, maybe in heaven.

“I know I’ve learned about patience…

“There are lots of little things you learn as a pastor, and some of them are simply part of growing up. …

“…And here’s the last thing I’ll mention. It goes back to the Bible story about Jacob wrestling with the angel. You remember, Jacob is touched in the hip socket and starts walking with a limp. It is true: given enough years, everyone ends up walking with a limp.

“It’s not all equal by any means.

“I’ve had less suffering than most other people. But if you live long enough, you’ll find that everyone is hurting.

“You’ll discover people’s marriages aren’t as good as they seem, or their kids are more troubled than they let on, or there’s a miscarriage or infertility, or there’s a parent who’s sick, or someone whose death is still the source of constant sadness, or there is a strained relationship, or there is an addiction, or there is an invisible illness.

“There’s just a lot of pain out there.

“Everyone you talk to is a sinner and a sufferer.

“As a young person filled with good theology, it’s easier to know the sinner part. And we can’t forget this, otherwise we will be poor friends, and I’ll be a poor pastor. Compassion without follow through or correction is not real love. But that’s only one part of the equation.

“You have to remember people are carrying around a lot of hurt, a lot of sadness, a lot of fears. I’ve had to learn that people are not just sinners; they’re sufferers too. And that shapes how you deal with sin and extend mercy. I hope I’ve learned that.”

Click here to read the full article by Kevin DeYoung.

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Almost 30 years ago, I took several days during a vacation to evaluate all that I was doing and to state in one brief sentence what my purpose in life was (my Mission Statement) – i.e. Why do I get out of bed in the morning? What is it that drives me day in and day out?

The statement I wrote back then has been a guiding compass over the last few decades. I still have this statement as part of my daily prayer list to help keep me centered on what is most important.

Here is my life’s mission statement…

When I come to the end of my life and have nothing but death to look forward to and nothing but memories to look back upon, I want to be able to say that I sought to be…

• God’s man (2 Cor. 5:15; 1 Thess. 2:4)
• in God’s place (Acts 20:24)
• doing God’s work (1 Cor. 3:6-8; 1 Cor. 15:58)
• for God’s glory! (1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 1:21; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

To explain what I mean by those four brief statements:

• I don’t want to be “my own man” (or as Frank Sinatra said, “I Did It My Way”). I only want to be God’s man.
• I don’t want to do ministry in someone else’s place; only the place that God has called me… no matter where that is or how small and seemingly insignificant.
• I don’t want to do anyone else’s work, only the work that God has called me to do (Acts 20:24).
• And finally, my ultimate reason for living, my reason for breathing air each day, my reason for taking up space on this dust chip called planet earth, is to live for God’s glory. Not my glory. Not some ministry’s glory. Only God’s glory. It’s not about me. It’s about Him.

What’s your mission statement? If you haven’t written one, I would encourage you to do so.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” (Augustine)

“I look in the mirror and say, ‘What is a young man like me doing in an old body like that?’” (Haddon Robinson)

“Two things are said to be rare sights in the world; one is a young man humble, and the other is an old man content.” (J.C. Ryle)

“To be loved but not known is superficial. To be known and not loved is our great fear. But to be known and loved is what will transform us.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“A book I’m reading states that there are 4 kinds of people.
1. Those who make things happen.
2. Those who watch things happen.
3. Those to whom things happen.
4. Those who have no clue what’s happening.
I’m determined to be in the 1st category. How about you?”
(Dr. David Sills)

“You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel.” (Anonymous)

Christianity Today recently published an article I found fascinating. The article shared the results of studies that show the practical benefits that come to a person who readily forgives others, practices gratitude and demonstrates humility in their relationships.

Here’s a short excerpt from the original article (with the tongue-in-cheek title of “What Brilliant Psychologists Like Me Are Learning About Humility” by Mark R. McMinn)…

“…For example, studies have now found a striking array of benefits around forgiveness. Compared to less-forgiving peers, forgiving people have lower blood pressure; lower bad cholesterol and resting heart rates; improved sleep and immune systems; less depression, anxiety, and anger; enhanced relationships; more optimism; and a greater sense of overall well-being.…

“Similarly, grateful people view their lives more favorably than others, have increased energy and self-confidence, and demonstrate better coping. They are more generous and optimistic, have a greater sense of purpose, have fewer medical problems, exercise more, and sleep better than their peers.…

“As with forgiveness and gratitude, humility fosters physical, mental, and relational health. Humble people are more grateful and forgiving, so they enjoy the benefits of those virtues. They are also more generous and helpful than others, have better romantic relationships, have less anxiety about death, and experience less spiritual struggle. They perform better at school and work, show more compassion to others, and even have better self-esteem than less humble people.”

Click here to read the entire article.

“Life is not measured by length but by depth. Birthdays tell us how long we have been on the road, not how far we have travelled.”  (Vance Havner)

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” (C.S. Lewis)

“We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed.” (G.K. Chesterton)

“Christianity can be summed up in the two terms faith and love… receiving from above [faith] and giving out below [love].” (Martin Luther)

“Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it, do not hammer it.” (Alexander MacLaren)

“God’s design in our pain enables us to look back and say: He loves me enough to take me where I would have never wanted to go in order to produce in me what I never could have achieved on my own.” (Paul David Tripp)

“God is our portion, Christ our companion, the Spirit our Comforter, Earth our lodge, and Heaven is our home.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“The storms of life no more indicate the absence of God than clouds indicate the absence of the sun.”  (John Blanchard)

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (C.S. Lewis)

“The safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” (C.S. Lewis)

“No one expects to attain to the height of learning, or arts, or power, or wealth, or military glory, without vigorous resolution, strenuous diligence, and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without labor, study, or inquiry.” (William Wilberforce)

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” (C.S. Lewis)

“Discipleship: When Jesus said to make disciples, the disciples understood that to mean that they should make out of others what Jesus has made out of them.” (Don Whitney – Professor at Southern Seminary, Louisville, KY)

“Grace and truth are both necessary. Neither is sufficient. Christ’s heart is equally grieved by grace-suppression and truth-suppression, by grace-twisting and truth-twisting. ‘For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’ (John 1:17).” (from The Grace and Truth Paradox by Randy Alcorn)

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” (C.T. Studd)

“Your approval before God is woven into the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, not what other men and women think about you.” (Matt Chandler)

“Man is indeed lost, but that does not mean that he is nothing. We must resist humanism, but to make a man a zero is not the right way to resist it … [The] Christian position is that man is made in the image of God and even though he is now a sinner, he can do things that are tremendous – he can influence history for this life and the life to come, for himself and for others… From the biblical viewpoint, man is lost, but great.” (Francis Schaeffer)

“An honest preacher’s prayer: Lord, by your Spirit, may your people hear a better sermon than the one I am about to preach.” (Kevin DeYoung)

Pastor Scott Slayton recently posted some of the best quotes from Tony Reinke’s excellent new book 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You. Eye-opening and well worth reading. Enjoy!

The Best Quotes from 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You 
by Pastor Scott Slayton

This year I have been giving time to reading on the effects that our digital culture is having on our lives. This journey is taken me through some works that are not explicitly Christian like Deep Work, The Lonely American, Irresistible, and Alone Together. (This week I picked up World Without Mind and The Tech-Wise Family, which is explicitly Christian.) Tony Reinke approaches the issue from a God-centered perspective in his book 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You. In looking at how we think about and use our phones, he explores the inner workings of our hearts and causes us to see how something that seems as harmless as a glance at a screen can have serious spiritual repercussions.

In these “best quotes” posts, I usually like to share my favorite twenty. For Reinke’s work, I started with a list of over fifty and had a difficult time cutting them down. This is an important book and I hope these quotes whet your appetite. These are the best quotes from 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You.

“If we must give an account of every idle word, we are probably the first generation that can truly appreciate the volume of our idle words, since we have published more of them that any group in human history.” (24)

“The glowing screen on my phone projects into my eyes the desires and loves that live in the most abstract corners of my heart and soul, finding visible expression in pixels of images, video, and text for me to see and consume and type and share. This means that whatever happens on my smart phone, especially under the guise of anonymity, is the true expose of my heart, reflected in full-color pixels back into my eyes.” (27)

“We find ourselves in the middle of this garden-to-city unfolding of history, and God is governing the entire process in several ways. Between the guardrails of natural law, as well as the guardrails of the abundance and scarcity of certain raw materials in the earth, and carried forward through his image bearers, each wired for innovation, the trajectory of technological progress–from the garden to the city–was set in motion. This process is entirely initiated, intended, and guided by God.” (31)

“We check our smartphones about 81,500 times each year, or once every 4.3 minutes of our waking lives.” (41)

“As digital distractions intrude into our lives at an unprecedented rate, behavioral scientists and psychologists offer statistical proof in study after study: the more addicted you become to your phone the more prone you are to depression and anxiety, and the less you are able to work and sleep at night.” (43)

“The human appetite for distraction is high in every age, because distractions give us an easy escape from the silence and solitude whereby we become acquainted with our finitude, our inescapable mortality, and the distance of God from all our desires, hopes, and pleasures.” (45)

“Distraction management is a critical skill for spiritual health, and no less in the digital age.” (51)

“My phone can connect me to many friends, but it can also decouple me from an expectation for real-life engagement. When I go into my social media streams, too often I use Facebook to insulate me from the real needs of my friends. Facebook becomes a safe and sanitized room where I can watch the ups and downs as an anonymous spectator, with no compulsive impulse to respond and care in any meaningful way.” (53)

“Our typing thumbs lack empathy without living faces in front of us. It is much easier to slander an online avatar than a real-life brother.” (59)

“Maybe this is a key function of church attendance in the digital age. We must withdraw from our online worlds to gather as a body in our local churches. We gather to be seen, to feel awkward, and perhaps to feel a little unheard and underappreciated, all on purpose. In obedience to the biblical command not to forsake meeting together, we each come as one small piece, one individual member, one body part, in order to find purpose, life, and value in union with the rest of the living body of Christ.” (72)

“The more time I spend reading ten-second tweets and skimming random articles online, the more it affects my attention span, weakening the muscles I need to read Scripture for long distances. But before we delete our Bible apps, we should consider that studies also tell us that Christian readers are more faithful to follow digital Bible reading plans on smartphones (with daily prompts) than print plans and offline reading.” (85)

“Photography is a blessing, but if we impulsively turn to our camera apps too quickly, our minds can fail to capture the true moments and the rich details of an experience in exchange for visually flattened memories.” (98)

“It’s awkward to say it this way, but like Narcissus staring down into the water, enchanted with himself, we bend over our phones–and what most quickly captures our attention is our own reflection: our replicated images, our tabulations of approval, and our accumulated ‘likes.’” (109)

“In the digital age, we idolize our phones when we lose the ability to ask if they help us (or hurt us) in reaching our spiritual goals.” (115)

“The smartphone is causing a social reversal: the desire to be alone in public and never in seclusion. We can be shielded in public and surrounded in isolation, meaning we can escape the awkwardness of human interaction on the street and the boredom of solitude in our homes. Or so we think.” (124)

“Every attempt to bleach-wash our digital footprint is vain. You can delete the most immature images from your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feeds. But nothing you do on your phone, have ever done on your phone, or will ever do on your phone is secret. Eternal regret will follow forever for private smartphone clicks happening right now. Before God, our browsing history remains a permanent record of our sin and shame–unless he shows mercy. Before his omniscient eyes, our browsing history can be washed clean only with the blood of Christ.” (138)

“When I grow bored with Christ, I become bored with life–and when that happens. I often turn to my phone for a new consumable digital thrill. It is my default habit.” (143)

“In all the noise, we must embrace our freedom in Christ, as we step back from the onslaught of online publishing and the proliferation of digital sages. By grace, we are free to close our news sources, close our life-hacking apps, and power down our phones in order to simply feast in the presence of friends and enjoy our spouses and families in the mystery, majesty, and ‘thickness’ of human existence.” (151)

“Christians, perhaps like never before, are tempted to remain tethered to the daily news cycle, viral videos, political forecasts, and entertainment gossip. Our hyperconnection is fueled by our FOMO. We hate being left out, so we focus on every Next Big Thing, such as the upcoming blockbuster film. And we forget about big, glorious realities like the inbreaking new creation of God.” (155)

“There’s a very real temptation for those who are not called into a certain situation to attempt to judge cases remotely, make premature conclusions, and then attract an online groundswell of support. But crowdsourcing verdicts and spreading unfounded conclusions online can destroy the reputation of a Christian.” (166)

An Open Letter to Those Frustrated by Their Progress in Sanctification

By David Powlison

“I do think that if you add these two things together—realism about the ongoing struggle that makes you actually need the Lord and then contentment with these quiet, unspectacular graces that are about living a human life that’s worth living—then sanctification can, in fact, go forward even when you’re going through a hard patch in life.”

Dear friend,

We all love it when life leaps into forward gear and we make all kinds of progress. Problems just seem to fall away. Perhaps in your life you’ve had a season like that, a season when your life seemed to shine and flourish. Maybe it was when you first became a believer or during some period when you were very well nurtured by good community and wise input.

Then there are those seasons where things go very slowly. You wonder, “Is this all there is? Why do I keep struggling with the same old things? I keep losing my temper, or feeling anxious, or being clumsy in relationships . . . ” What vision does God give us for what our lives are supposed to look like, especially when we’re dealing with the long, hard struggle part of being a Christian? Let me say two things.

First, often when we hear the words sanctification, growth, and transformation, we have an idealized image of what that might look like. Though each of us may picture slightly different things, I doubt for most of us that the image includes three quarters of the book of Psalms which portray life where faith and hope happen in the midst of honest struggles—hard struggle, a sense that “I need God to hear me.”

Psalm 28, for example, says, “If you don’t hear me, God, I will die!” It is not unusual for life to be difficult. We bump up against things in the world around us that are intimidating or overwhelming or discouraging. We see things within ourselves that we wish would change, but we keep failing in some way.

The Psalms are about that. They’re about struggle with hard things in our world and in ourselves. And the Psalms are a window into the heart of Jesus Christ himself.

If sanctification means becoming like Christ, then the way we struggle is as much a part of our sanctification as some idealized image of what we hope that we would become. Struggling honestly, actually needing help, is what the Psalms are about.

The Lord is enough. You can go through hard things and not lose your faith.

Second, there are particular kinds of growth and strength that may be happening in our lives that we don’t even see. Jesus’s first four Beatitudes are about needing help: feeling your need, grieving the wrong in the world, submitting to God’s will, hungering for all wrongs to be made right.

Living such weakness doesn’t necessarily feel like growth. And the second half of the Beatitudes can also happen in ways that you’re not always aware.

The fifth Beatitude says that the merciful are blessed because they’ll receive mercy. In your life—in part because you struggle, in part because you know God’s mercies to you—your heart may be becoming more generous to other people.

You have less of a sense of me, me, me, of my rights and prerogatives, what I want to accomplish, that I need to own this piece of turf, need to get credit. You have a growing sense that other people really matter.

You can be gracious to them in their shortcomings and their heartaches. Are you gradually decentering off yourself?

And think about the sixth Beatitude, about the pure heart. That means that you go into conversations as less conniving, less fearful, less manipulative, less comparative, less performance oriented. You’re able to simply be truer to what it actually means to care for others. You look out for their interests as well as your own.

Or think about being a peacemaker, the seventh Beatitude.

You are less prone to leap into conflict, less prone to be defensively self-righteous when someone criticizes you. You may be changing into a more gracious person, and others see it in you more than you see it in yourself.

And, finally, consider the final Beatitude, about persevering and having courage in the face of suffering and difficulty. You’re able—in a deep-down way—to say “It’s okay that life is a long, hard road.”

You don’t have to always get your way. Not everybody has to agree with you. You aren’t living for your dreams and your bucket list. The Lord is enough. You can go through hard things and not lose your faith.

Now none of those things—becoming a more generous-hearted person, having more simplicity in the way you approach people, being the one seeking to solve conflict instead of instigate it, and having courage and perseverance—are splashy transformations. They’re just good, quiet, strong, steady fruits of the Lord working in our lives.

I do think that if you add these two things together—realism about the ongoing struggle that makes you actually need the Lord and then contentment with these quiet, unspectacular graces that are about living a human life that’s worth living—then sanctification can, in fact, go forward even when you’re going through a hard patch in life.

David

David Powlison (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a teacher, a counselor, and the executive director of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. He is also the senior editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling and the author of Seeing with New Eyes, Good and Angry, and Speaking Truth in Love.

44 Scripture Passages

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10)

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Romans 12:14)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:16)

“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:17)

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:18-21)

“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10)

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:1-4)

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19)

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Romans 15:1-2)

“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

“Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2)

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29 NASB)

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender- hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NASB)

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” (Philippians 2:14)

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” (Colossians 3:8-9)

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6)

“For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” (2 Corinthians 12:20)

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same.” (Matthew 5:43-47)

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15)

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16)

“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” (James 5:9)

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9)

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:19-21)

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13.13)

“And have mercy on those who doubt.” (Jude 22)

(Emphasis mine)

(All Scripture taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted)