Good Advice for the New Year

If you haven't made your New Year's resolutions yet, how about these from one of Paul's letters to the Romans?

• Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come, endure them patiently; steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer.
• Give freely to fellow Christians in want, never grudging a meal or a bed to those who need them. And as for those who try to make your life a misery, bless them. Don't curse, bless.
• Share the happiness of those who are happy, and the sorrow of those who are sad. Live in harmony with one another. Don't become snobbish but take a real interest in ordianry people. Don't become set in your own opinions.
• Don't pay back a bad turn by a bad turn, to anyone. Don't say "It doesn't matter what people think," but see that your public behavior is above criticism.
• As far as your responsibility goes, live a peace with everyone. Never take vengeance into your own hands, my dear friends; stand back and let God punish if He will. . .
• Don't allow yourself to be overpowered with evil. Take the offensive - overpower evil by good!

From Romans 12 (Phillips translation)
Church Bulletin Bits, #2

As printed in the January/February 2011 edition of The Grapevine, Mount Zion's church newsletter.