Develop the Practice of Righteousness

6.4. Develop the Practice of Righteousness

Perspective

( Rom. 5:3-5 ; Rom. 12:1-2 ; Matt. 10:16-28 ; 1 Pet. 3:13-17 ) Do not be surprised
at trials, even if they seem fiery. Rejoice in them because God uses them to reveal the spirit that is in you, and develop Christlike maturity. Be prepared to be reviled. If you should endure suffering for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed of the Lord. Renewing the mind is a constant process to free us from our own corruption of lusts and appetites; and to defend and protect ourselves from the fashions and customs of the world.

Hope

( Eph. 5:15-16 ; 1 Tim. 4:7-11 ; Heb. 5:14 ; Gal. 5:22-23 ; Heb. 13:20-21 ) You
must faithfully practice your daily responsibilities and discipline yourself toward godliness. As you continue to be a doer of the word, your senses will be trained to discern good and evil. Your growth is a sovereign work of God that is divinely linked to your living in a biblical manner.

Prov. 3:5-10 ; Ps. 55:22 ; Ps. 94:17-19 ; Jer. 29:11 ; Rom. 8:28-29 God has
promised to provide all the necessities of life as you seek to please Him. He is always available to help you and He is firmly in control of every aspect of your life. Living in a biblical manner, the believer is assured that God is arranging and re-arranging 'all things' for his good on a daily basis. Thus, hope is really faith extended into the future, living the divine life in the present.

( Matt. 6:25,34 ; Luke 12:22-34 ; Matt. 6:33 ; Heb. 5:14 ; James 1:22-25 ) Put-off
self-centered concern about the future and put-on doing the Word. As you dwell on the
things of God, He will protect and provide for you in all areas of your life.
God made man a spiritual being. As such, man is not to be preoccupied with making it on his own, taking care of oneself in this world, and fighting and struggling to make it through life. As a citizen of heaven, he works in partnership with God. He trusts and acknowledges God while doing all he can: plows and works, not looking back; and while working, trust the results to God. God says he will see to it that such a trusting person will always have the necessities of life.

Change

( John 3:30 ; John 12:24-26 ; Matt. 20:26-28 ; Rom. 15:1-3 ; Col. 3:23-24 ) Stop
living to please self in daily situations, responsibilities and relationships. Regard others as more important than yourself and be a servant to God and others. The Christian believer who truly lives and witnesses for Christ gives himself up to Christ. In Christ, as a bondslave, he ministers to the needs of others.

( Prov. 9:6 ; Prov. 14:16 ; Gal. 5:16-21 ; James 1:19 ; John 15:5 ; James 1:22-25
; James 4:17 ) List the circumstances or relationships in which you are (or have been)tempted to become angry or bitter. Develop a biblical plan for overcoming anger and bitterness in these situations. Formulate a contingency plan for dealing with anger and bitterness that may arise suddenly. What you comprehend, you will be conformed to, and this is what you will communicate.

( Prov. 10:12 ; 1 Cor. 13:4-8 ; 1 Pet. 1:22 ; Eph. 4:32 ; 1 Pet. 3:8-9 ) Practice
biblical love by forgiving others just as God has forgiven you. Do kind and tenderhearted deeds to the very individuals with whom you become irritated. Forbearance is giving what a person needs, not what he deserves.