Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health
Question 2: Are You Governed Increasingly by God’s Word?*

The author begins by quoting Scottish theologian Thomas Chalmers: “The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you and do what the Bible bids you.” Do we believe that? Following are other probing questions covered in the book and Scripture sources:

-        Do we consider the Bible the single most valuable item on earth?
      (Psalm 12:6; Psalm 19:7-10; Psalm 119:72) Why or why not?

-        Do we suffer from a famine of God’s Word in our lives? The Holy Spirit describes the Bible as “water” (Ephesians 5:26) and food (Jeremiah 15:16). Followers of Christ believe what He believes: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (see Matthew 4:1-11) Interestingly, Jesus was speaking to someone who ironically knows the Bible better than a lot of churchgoers! If God’s Word was created to nourish us, then “eating it”, becoming filled with it is essential.

-        Do we believe the Bible to be the true Word of God? If we dare to call ourselves Christians, then we follow Jesus Christ in His beliefs, words, and actions. See what Jesus says about Holy Scripture – John 17:17; Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 4:16-21; John 6:41-51)

-        Do we believe The Bible--God’s Word-- is authoritative, that it trumps culture in any generation?  (1 Peter 1:24-25; John 6:67-69; Psalm 105:8; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 119:160; Psalm 33:11; Romans 1:16-20; Hebrews 4:12)

-        God uses metaphors or figurative phrases to describe His Word; how might these descriptions clue us on the importance of God’s Word the Bible? In addition to those noted above, God describes His Word as: A light (Psalm 119:105); a fire and a tool (Jeremiah 23:29); a weapon and sword (Ephesians 6:17), and seed (Matthew 3:13-23; 1 Peter 1:23); and likens to water (Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 55:10-11; Isaiah 11:9)

-        Do we seek out in the Bible God’s will and purpose for our lives? (Matthew 5:20; Psalm 9:10; Psalm 27:8; Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 11:29; Mark 10:17-22; John 5:30; Psalm 40:8; Romans 12:1-2)

-        Do we love God’s Word? (Psalm 119:47,48,97,113,119,127,163)

Scripture speaks of nonChristians as “those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) Indifference to God’s Word of truth is a mark of spiritual death. Without guidance by God through His Word, people remain in spiritual darkness – believing anything that ‘sounds’ good, religious, or spiritual (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

For example, can we locate in Scripture the statement quoted by church people and even nonbelievers: “God helps those who help themselves.”

-        If we believe in the authority of God’s Word, is what we are learning being applied, so that there is a change in our thinking and perspective? Do our preferences, moral core align with Scripture? Do we allow God’s Word to override generational culture, so-called “church” culture, societal and/or world culture where they do not intersect with God’s Word?  (Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 2; Colossians 2:2-4; Deuteronomy 12:28; Jeremiah 7:23; John 14:15-24; Romans 6:11-13; 1 John 2:3-5; Galatians 5:13-21; Romans 1:16,18,21-32; Revelation 3:1-6; Revelation 2:18-29; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 1 Corinthians 5; Proverbs 19:13,16,18,20-23,27    

-        Does God’s Word shape our prayers? Do we know how to pray God’s Word? (Matthew 6:5-15; Psalm 77; Psalm 42; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 , 5:16-18; Colossians 1:3,9-14; Nehemiah 1; Jude 1:20-21; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 4:7; Mark 11:25; James 5:13-18; Romans 8:26-27)

Lastly, the author suggests meditating on certain areas from a biblical perspective, for example: Church (what it is, attendance, worship inside and outside of, baptism, membership, serving in, giving to, learning in, praying with, fellowship, Lord’s Supper; community of oneness); Discipleship (meditation on Scripture, prayer, evangelism, missions, priorities of schedules, stewardship of “God’s manifold grace,” fasting, silence and solitude, legalism vs. relationship with God); Money (giving, saving, investing, controlling debt, contentment, budgeting, gambling, wasting, not loving it, simplifying with less). Find Scriptures that guide us relative to these disciplines and behaviors, and/or consider certain other areas we individually may have recently been praying about and seek the Bible’s viewpoint on it – locating Scriptures that provide deeper insight and thought.

*The foregoing represents my personal reflections on a study by Dr. Donald S. Whitney, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. (2001. By Donald S. Whitney. NAVPRESS. ISBN 978-1-61747-187-2) Quotations and excerpts are from that source, unless otherwise identified. For the 2023 Lenten season I provided these thoughts to my local congregation's Bible study group. The questions are not, however, constrained by a particular liturgical season, holiday, or age group: these are questions every Christian may find useful in fulfilling God's command at 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!" The church at Corinth looked a lot like many of our churches today.

Blessed Are The Peacemakers, For They Will Be Called Children of God

 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. The Bible at Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.” He is Peace. He came to earth not only to bring His peace but to guide others into the peace of His light. (Luke 1:79) In His resurrected self, Jesus commands peace upon His followers. (John 20:19, 21, 26) The kind of peace Jesus wants of us and for us is not a superficial peace – one of quiet, pleasant moments. He wants us to have a “shalom peace”. Shalom, which is an English rendering of the Hebrew word for šālōm, means peace, plus harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. The shalom peace of Jesus is all of those things: a peace that has the character of harmony – an absence of destructive conflict, a mind and heart set on unifying others; it is a radiating calmness of spirit that senses God’s presence (remember when Jesus used to seek out a place where He could be alone to pray to the Father?); it is a wholeness of a pure heart, having the mind of Christ, and a growing faith in Christ; it is a complete knowledge and confidence within our soul that we are children of the Most High, who lavishes us with the richness of His grace; it means to know that God will supply all our needs; it is a lack of worry because God is in control; it means that we find true completeness in God our Savior and Father; it is an assurance that God will not leave nor forsake us; it is true joy and gratitude that nothing can come to us without passing through the filter of God, who loves us beyond our imagination or dream. True peace is an outgrowth of obedience to Christ. This deep-seated shalom peace is characterized by patience and mercy, it is a shalom that cannot happen apart from Christ. (John 15:5) Peace emanates from a pure heart. We are to imitate the Lord and develop a spirit of peace as Christ followers – becoming peacemakers. Our influence must be one that gives off a “fragrance” of peace to whomever we encounter. Jesus’ Gospel of peace compels us to become persons who make peace and seek peaceful relationships with others in Godly agapé love. The Prince of Peace would have us choose our words and actions wisely; to “sprinkle them with salt” and to become “salt.” Salt on food and in food enhances the pleasing taste of the food, makes it a delight in our mouth. Thus, our words are to be so seasoned, to be agreeable, to encourage peace, not provoking anger or be insulting and dismissive. As peacemakers who are “salt” and “light” we are not to seek revenge but reconciliation.

  But know this because people sometimes get this confused:  There is “peace with God” and the “peace of God”, and they are two different things. Peace with God requires our confession and acknowledgement to God of our rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ, bowing before God in complete repentance from that sin and sins that derive from that rejection, in response to the Spirit’s call, and then receiving God’s forgiveness based on the sacrificial Blood of Christ; in so surrendering ourselves to God, He places within us, “indwells” us, with God the Holy Spirit (aka Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ). One of the hallmarks of the Holy Spirit is His character, of which peace is a perfect attribute; He strives (sometimes has to struggle so to speak) to impute that character attribute through the sanctifying work He performs. The fullness of Himself indwelling us seals us for salvation. We become the ”sons” or heirs – joint heirs with Christ; God adopts us into His eternal family, where we can then have the peace of God by virtue of His Spirit in us and working in us, and can enjoy, even hold most sacred, our full access to the Father. At our adoption into the eternal family, we become the “sons” of God whose brother is Peace. True children reflect their Father, our God of peace, by willingly choosing to be peaceful with others and sharing that peace. As peacemakers, we speak peace by the Holy Spirit, forgiving others freely, and touching the hearts of those who have yet to become a believer. (more scripture support: Colossians 1:20; 3:15; Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 5:1-2; John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 14:33) As adopted children of God, our brother is Peace.


Explore

 

·       At worship services, when we do the “peace”, do you know why that is a part of the service? (hint: it’s not just a greeting!)

·       Why do you think that “peace with God” must happen before we can have the “peace of God?”

·       Would you describe yourself as a peacemaker within your family, at church, within your circle of friends or classmates? Why or why not?

·       If your answer to the bullet above this one is “Yes”, how would you explain to someone what it means to be a peacemaker?

 

 Bonus: Let There Be Peace on Earth  -- featuring Boys Choir of Harlem; "I Speak Jesus" - Charity Gayle, Steve Musso

Blessed Are The Merciful, For They Will Receive Mercy

 

 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. What is this mercy? It is critical for us to know what it is since Jesus desires us to have mercy (Matthew 9:13 (Jesus was quoting from Hosea 6:6)). It is forgiving one another (and yourself), i.e., not seeking retaliation for the harm done to you by another. It also refers to compassion we feel for others who are weak, poor, ill, anxious, and in other ways disadvantaged. Also would include the “outcasts” of society who, either through fault or no fault of their own are “disconnected” to the greater community. In some versions of the Bible, mercy is also translated as lovingkindness, an apt description. While the Bible is replete with examples of God’s mercy to the nation of Israel and surrounding nations, among others, our greatest example of mercy extended to others is that of God’s mercy in Christ, even though we cannot fully comprehend this mercy of God. The reason is because we cannot comprehend how God views sin: to Him, sin is abominable, He hates sin because of what it does to those He created in His image; He knows that in addition to separating us from Him, sin has the effects of destroying our bodies with each succeeding generation, making us weak and helpless against its ravages; He knows that sin always results in death. We are born with death already in us because of sin. We are sinners – no matter how “nice” we may seem. Even in the face of such inborn rejection, even though we are sinners, God still loves us so much as to send His own Son to live as a human and to become the only option for removing the penalty of sin. Jesus’ single sacrifice for all sin, the basis for restoration with God, is an undeserved mercy and forgiveness. God’s example lets us know that we, too, are responsible and accountable to God for the mercy we show or do not show to others. Do we forgive others who violate us or otherwise hurt us? Forgiveness is not easy, as our own inborn sin rebels against forgiving and forgiveness because we want to get even and make the offenders suffer. We sometimes even feel that foregiveness of one's sins against us leaves us damaged and scarred, vulnerable and humiliated. Actually, not forgiving does more harm to us; the bitterness against that person can produce murderous thoughts - ask me how I know - and can bring a stress that wears on your body and emotions. Our bitterness makes us vulnerable to more bitterness because we a duped into thinking that our bitterness is control over our circumstances. Bitterness exacerbates the wound inflicted upon us so that it scars us emotionally; the more we feed into it, the deeper and wider the scar becomes; the scar cannot heal over because the bitterness continues to ooze into it. We are duped to think that being a person who forgives is humiliating - that it weakens our stance before others. If and when we understand that forgiveness means to surrender our desire to get even and make payback happen, we begin to understand the power of God that enables us to forgive. That God will gladly make His Spirit abound in us so that we will have the forward-facing will and desire to forgive. Our forgiveness takes us out of bitterness' imprisonment, frees us to thrive knowing that our Heavenly Father will even more freely forgive us for our messing up. 

Mercy is a high bar; the opposite of mercy is unforgiveness and wrath. We cannot receive mercy if we choose not to forgive. Jesus actually commands us to be merciful as recorded in Luke 6:35-36, that we may look like children of our Heavenly Father. God is so willing to pour out mercies on us; in fact, His mercies to us are fresh each morning! (Lamentations 3:22-23) Because Jesus is Light, He tells us that we must be light also. We show this light when we are merciful to others. (John 8:12; Matthew 5:14; Ephesians 5:8

Explore

1.  Can you name a mercy that God has recently extended to you? How did it make you feel?

2.  Can you remember a time when it was very difficult to extend mercy to a particular person or persons? What made it difficult for you?

3.  Given all you have read about mercy and the One who extends it, what do you think it means to “walk in the light”?


Bonus: "Mercy" - Elevation Worship and Maverick City

Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit, for Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Some commentators interpret this passage as ‘the poor are blessed people.’ It is true that many people in Jesus’ day were poor; those who listened to Jesus’ sermon were mostly the common, ordinary and often poor persons who had been oppressed by taxes, stringent laws and regulations, and low wages. Jesus, in His humanity, grew up in a poor village; He even speaks about Himself as being homeless!


Yet, this is not the poverty that the first beatitude refers to.

This blessing relates to an impoverishment of spirit -- being spiritually poor before God.

What does “spiritually poor” mean? It means we don’t know what we think we know about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; our knowledge and awareness of God are so limited that we have a skewed vision of who He is. We are impoverished or spiritually poor when we do not have the right relationship with God. (Compare Romans 1:20-22,28)

So, what does a right relationship with God look like? It begins when God speaks to us through His Holy Spirit: through His Spirit-authored Word the Bible, through prayer, and other ways (this calling is an individualized call unique for that person; only God knows how, when, where His Spirit will initiate the call). When we truly listen to and receive the Spirit’s call or prompting, we must respond to God, humbly surrendering mind, heart, and soul to Christ. We repent, i.e., turn away from our sinful attitudes, behaviors and from rejecting Jesus and His rightful Lordship over us. We seek, we beg God’s forgiveness. When our hearts are submitted to God and the Lord Jesus Christ, God pours out His grace on us; we are “cleansed” by the Word and Blood of the Lamb, and we receive God’s salvation and His Holy Spirit in us to enable us to follow Christ (see at verse 13 in the Ephesians link). As Ephesians 1:3-14 tells us, we become spiritually rich when we receive a father-child relationship with God.

As Christ followers who are spiritually rich, ours is the kingdom of heaven; we have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of God’s Son, which is the kingdom of heaven (Colossians 1:12-14). What is the kingdom of heaven, this kingdom of God’s Son? This kingdom, God's seat of authority, emanates from heaven where God dwells – Christ is its King. God’s kingdom of heaven is invisible in that it does not have a geographic location, a physical building or estate on earth; God’s throne is not visible to the human eye. God’s kingdom is the place of relationship with God, built on the richness of His love and grace, His justice and character, His mercies, His salvation. It is the rule or reign of God as Sovereign in our lives. It is visibly the universal Body of Christ, the True Church (those called out of satan’s kingdom of darkness – the 'ekklesia') in whose hearts Christ reigns – true disciples of Christ still living on earth and those who have been translated into the heavenly home (2 Corinthians 5:1) who represent God’s ways and authority. They belong to the light, to the kingdom and the kingdom is theirs; they are Citizens of God’s kingdom through the work of the Spirit, people who are obeying the commands of Christ and worshiping Him alone and sharing this good news with others, inviting them to enter the way of the Light of Life. (for further reference, see Jesus' preaching on what the kingdom of heaven is in Matthew 13:1-53, which He taught via parables)

Jesus does not want us to continue poor in spirit; He desires us all to come into a saving relationship with Him and to inherit the spiritual riches God has stored up for us. (John 3:16-17; Matthew 25:34)   When we are finally awakened in our desires, in our heart and spirit to our desperate need for Christ and pursue it -- and God transfers us to His kingdom of light, we receive not just a single blessing, but continual blessings for an eternity!

 

Explore

·       Imagine that you receive a notice that a bank account has been set up in your name and that each year $300,000 would be deposited into it tax-free, along with a home for life, the best education, and authority to live your life honorably and with purpose. What would be your response to the donor?


How is this illustration similar to this beatitude? How may it be different?

 

·       Which one do you think is worse: being spiritually poor or being financially poor? Why did you give that answer? 

·       If you become spiritually rich, what would you do with your riches?

Bonus: "You Know My Name" - Tasha Cobbs Leonard; "I'd Rather Have Jesus", Kevin Smith and Day III Chorale; "Who Am I", Casting Crowns

[view an overview of why the Beatitudes here]

How Do You Walk?

If you have ever been on a guided hiking tour along a trail and/or through a wooded park, the hiking guide continually warns the tour group – “do not wander off or leave the group. Stay with the group for your own safety as there are hazards, and cell signals are almost nonexistent.” The guide has walked the trail often and knows all of the pitfalls, all of those things that could make for an unpleasant journey. So, what would you do? Does a sense of adventure, the thrill-rush of the unknown spur you to walk away or hang back while the group goes forward? Do you believe that nothing bad will happen (hey, I believe in God and He said nothing bad will happen to His people), that getting off the trail can’t possibly lead to encounters with wild animals, new or strange plants that could prove harmful, pits, etc.? Because you are smart enough to figure out what to do? That losing sight of the group and hiking guide will not happen, or if it does, you have good skills for wandering around, and will catch up to them? After all, isn't the walk intended to reveal new and amazing, enjoyable-to-the-eye things? Yet the hiking guide won’t take you into those really cool places; he’s just keeping to some well-beaten path? Where is the fun in that? After all, God gave me a mind to think with, and desire to discover – I just want to exercise it for a while, then get back to the group when I’m finished!

Sadly, sometimes our view of 'fun' is shaped by the world, and involves risky behavior, stepping outside of known boundaries or safe paths, finding attraction in things and places that are potentially harmful – just like the imprudent walker/hiker who sees only the thrills of ditching the hiking group and doing it his or her way. How many know that wandering away from the expert guide puts you in danger, danger that will be exceedingly challenging for you to negotiate, no matter how smart you think you are? That stranded in a place without a cell signal, where the environment is such that it is hard to determine exactly where you are, is a very real possibility – are you willing to take that chance?  

That is the warning God gives to us, because He does not want to see us get harmed. He loves us. He values our lives. He lovingly tells us to follow His Son, Jesus Christ, and allow Him to lead us to places He would have us go. Because God is Omniscient – He knows all things – He knows what is best for us and leads us along that way. He also has desired and predestined us for a future that will bring us the abundant life He has planned for us. He saved us, already knowing where we would go, even whether we might stumble along the way. He thus has designed the path upon which we will find success. Just the opposite: to walk without God, to leave the path He has put us on,  is like walking in the dark – the dense darkness – without a torch or flashlight, i.e, without the True Light. Like a hiker or walker who strays away from the group and puts him or herself in potential risk situations, so will the believer, who leaves the path that Jesus and the Father have designed just for them, and can subsequently place him or herself in a risky situation (the risk is relative to one’s relationship with God, which is super serious, and can risk harming oneself physically, emotionally, and spiritually).  

The youth studied a few months ago the idea of walking with God, and their feedback on that study has been in the sanctuary for all to see. Walking with God, following His Son, takes us along a narrow path, bordered by guardrails for our safety, and for our best life and enjoyment. Our natural inclination, though – based on our fallen human nature – is to go our own way and leave the path, and this inclination impacts us strongly when we are adolescents and teens, especially when we fall out of the nest and have more freedom. It also impacts us strongly when our children grow older and we are left with an empty nest. We might see ‘shiny pennies’ everywhere, things that beg us to leave the path to satisfy what we think we need, what will make us more fulfilled, will affirm our personhoods, or appeal to our fallen human nature relative to moral judgment and behavior. God sent His Son that we may follow Him and enjoy an abundant life in Christ.

If you have seen the tendency within yourself to leave the path God has designed for you, to not walk in the Way, pray to God to fill your heart and mind with His Word, so that it will guide you along the path following Christ. Ask Him to show you how to walk with The Truth, The Way, and The Life, even if others will not.  Ask Him to help you learn that the guardrails along the path He has designed for you to walk in are to give you life, and not take life away. It is with much urgency that I invite us all to walk with the King, to follow Him, for the time is short and our vision limited – we can’t see the next moments, let alone see the past the curves in the path ahead. Walk wisely (according to the wisdom of God) and humbly is God’s call to all.

Scriptures to put into your Faith Arsenal:

Ephesians 5:15-16

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

1 Corinthians 7:17

Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.

Matthew 10:38

And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

2 Corinthians 5:7

for we walk by faith, not by sight—

Proverbs 16:25

Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it is the way to death.

John 6:65-69  And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” ⁶⁶ As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

2 John 1:6

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

1 John 1:7

but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:1

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought towalk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.

Colossians 2:6

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Matthew 7:13

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

John 10:1-18
“…I am the door…”

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Ephesians 1:3-6
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 12:26

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Psalm 89:15

How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.

Psalm 56:13

For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

John 12:35

So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.

Genesis 6:9

These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

Ecclesiastes 10:3

Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

Jeremiah 6:16

Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Psalm 37:23

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

1 Peter 2:21

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

1 Peter 4:3-5
You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. ⁴ [Your former associates] are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. ⁵ But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.