Hey guys, hope you're having a great weekend! Now, before you get excited about the title of this blog post, don't; not too much anyway. You can be a little excited because it's still exciting, just not what you might think. So if you're thinking this is a post about steps to being a completely holy & righteous person, this ain't a post about that 👀. This post is simply four things that are good principles to live by because God is a God of principle and He honours His words and promises. Ok, now you can get excited! Thing is, you might already live by these principles and not think too much about it because your mind has been transformed to think this way and the Holy Spirit is helping you live this way. And if that's the case, hallelujah! I'm so pleased and hope you agree with what I'll be highlighting below. You might even have your own principles that you live by. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It's more a list of some of the principles that I love and strive to live by each day. Without further ado:
Saving: yep, if you live in a part of the world where you're not hearing the word 'recession' in the news every day, please tell me where you live and if you have a spare room for me 🤭. Seriously, some of the news headlines are anxiety-inducing and it's important not to put your trust in your own ability to feed/clothe/house yourself. Everything we do is completely by the grace of God, including the ability to prepare for the worst. When Pharoah had a dream about the 7 years of abundance and 7 years of famine, there was an important principle God passed down to us. In our years of 'abundance', we should save for any famine that may occur. We don't wish for famine but we never know when we may experience it. In Proverbs 21:20, Solomon wisely concludes what a wise person does - store up choice food and olive oil. If you need any more convincing on this topic, read Ecclesiastes 11 - all of it.
Make peace: In Romans 12:18, Pauls urges the church, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Need I say more? If possible, meaning there may be situations where it's not possible. As far as it depends on you, meaning there may also be situations where making peace is out of your control. You do what you can, and that you must do. And leave the rest to God.
Friendship: Yes, David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 20) - you already knew this was coming but it's just the perfect example of a good friendship. Going out of your way, because you love someone, to help them. It's biblical and it's a great example if you want to be a better friend to those you care about.
Diligence: Proverbs 10:4 says "lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth" and Ecclesiastes 9:11 also teaches us that diligence doesn't always bring what we desire - it's time and chance. Ultimately, the lesson here in both verses is that you do what you need to do and God brings a season of harvest where you reap what you sow! Do not kill yourself trying to achieve anything in your effort because ultimately, if you're diligent in the matters of God, He will take care of your every need. Mind God's business and He'll mind yours.
I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have other principles, please share them in the comments section below!