Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
Colossians 3:12-15a, NIV
If you are a Christian, you have a new perspective on life, because your life is eternal and transcends all the cares of this world. Even if you lose the battle of this life, you are on the winning side of a larger war! If this is true, your values will be governed by the long haul and not by immediate circumstances. You can relax about things in this life; after all, they are passing away, but you aren’t. You don’t need to get all worked up over them. You have the strength to be kind and compassionate in adversity. So if you find yourself living carnally, you need to go back and check your spiritual vision. If you are overly concerned with short-range things, you need to check your long-range vision. We all laugh at the foolish person who in the process of saving a dime squanders a dollar; let’s not be caught doing the same thing with our spirituality. If someone gets very upset in the course of playing Monopoly, we tell them that it is only a game…that life goes on. Likewise, we shouldn’t get worked up about life. Life will end, but eternity will go on! Therefore let us live with eternity in mind, and take the petty troubles of this life in stride.
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No on engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No on engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
2 Timothy 2:3-4
