Counsel to Members

From 1 Thes 3-5 and 2 Thes 3:1-6, 11
Paul gives a cheat sheet of what we need to work on as members of the Church of Christ.

• Increase in Love
• Abound in Love
• Know the Commandments
• Abstain from Fornication
• No man Defraud His Brother
• Love One Another
• Study to be Quiet
• Work With Your Own Hands
• Watch and Be Sober
• Put on the:
• Breastplate of Faith and Love
• Helmet of Hope of  Salvation
• Comfort and Edify Each Other
• Know and Esteem your Leaders
• Warn the Unruly
• Comfort the Feebleminded
• Support the Weak
• Be Patient Toward All Men
• Rejoice Ever More
• Pray Without Ceasing
• In Everything Give Thanks
• Quench Not the Spirit
• Despise Not Prophesyings
• Abstain from Appearance of Evil
• Be Not Weary in Well Doing

There's more, but for the five of you that look at this, I thought that would get the picture across. It can often feel overwhelming to me the amount of good things that we are supposed to be doing. I get feelings of inadequacy when I see a list like that and think of all the things that I need to improve. I know however that those feelings are not from the Lord. It's so much easier to see fault than to see what is good. I have to see Paul's advice not as a linear task sheet to check off, but as a much more circular globe. Much of the advice interconnects and it all goes back to our Savior. If I can keep my focus on Him, I can't really be headed in the wrong direction or working on the wrong virtue. It's all progress!