Day 15. Monday, January 20:

“Wise Goals for Life.”

Karla

1. Wisdom and my Body

God, in his mercy, loved us so much that he sent his son to die for our sins. We were slaves of Satan, but God bought us with the price of Jesus’ blood. When we received him, God filled us with his Holy Spirit. Now, we belong to him and must be faithful stewards and blameless servants.

Proverbs 23:19–21 (NIV84)   19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.  20 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,  21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

The Bible calls us to be wise and to keep our hearts on what is right. To take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must stay away from all excess and not let ourselves be dominated by any vice or bad habits. We live in a time when we can access everything in abundance. It is so easy to say yes when we are asked if we want to increase our food order for so little money. Before we know it, we are immersed in a way of life that can affect our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own masters.”

Being diligent in taking care of our health is another challenge we face. The word of God tells us that we are the temple of God, and therefore, we have the duty and responsibility to take care of it. As good stewards, we must try to stay healthy and strong and avoid, at all costs, destroying our bodies through sheer negligence. A good way is by doing regular physical exercise, attending medical appointments, and taking the necessary medications and vitamins. Postponing or not diligently attending medical check-ups can bring irreversible consequences to our lives and bodies.

2. Wisdom and my behavior

Ephesians 4:31, 32 NIV  “Get rid of all bitterness, anger and rage, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you.”

God urges us to abandon bad attitudes and sins. There are forms of behavior that we have inherited from our family or that we have acquired throughout life due to wounds and damage received. However, God wants us to abandon them and behave like His children, kind and compassionate. Demonstrating God's love to others is forgiving the offenses received, just as He forgave us. In this way, the world will be able to see that the God we serve is true and has the power to change lives and hearts.

3. My life and God's will

Psalm 40:8 NIV “I delight to do your will, my God; your law is within me.”

Doing God's will brings joy and satisfaction. We must be sure that nothing in this world can give us greater joy than knowing that we are walking hand in hand with the Lord. If we let Jesus guide our lives, we will not fail. We must stop today and ask ourselves if we are walking in God's will and make immediate changes, submitting our lives to Him. Doing God's will is yielding and surrendering our own will, knowing that He has better plans for us. Let us trust in God, and we will see how He works in our favor.

OUR PRAYER:

God, I thank you for each of the blessings received during the past year. I ask you for strength to be able to uproot from me every bad habit and sin that has dominated me and has been affecting my life. I want to be a faithful steward. Help me and give me the wisdom to make good decisions in the face of temptation. I want to be wise and make the changes I need to make to please you. My desire is to serve you all the days of my life until you call me to your presence. In Christ Jesus, Amen!