Guidelines for the Christian Young Man

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col. 3:17)

By Amos K. Martin

Printed: March 2006

© 2000

Published by: Weaverland Mennonite Publications

Contents

Dear Young Man

Your Invisible Friend

Twice Born

It’s Nice to Have Friends

But, What Can We Do?

But, All my Friends Are Doing It!

Getting the Most for the Least

Playing the Game

Becoming a Man

What May I Do?

Speaking the Truth in Love

Living with the People God Gave Me

Turning the Other Cheek

How Do I Find the Right One?

Must I Face Life Alone?

Exciting Plans for the Future

When One Plus One Equals One

Dear Young Man

Introduction

Enjoy yourself, do what you would like to do. But be aware that you will be responsible for what you do.

You have the rest of your life ahead of you and many of the things you do now and in the near future will have a bearing on the quality of your life. Today many people are dealing with undesirable situations because of decisions and choices they made in their youth[1].

Youth should be a happy era of your lifetime. It is usually a time to enjoy good health, dreams for the future, and learning to socialize with peers. Enjoy life, God meant for us to enjoy it. We are given life to learn about heavenly things and to allow Him to redeem us back into His fellowship. Children are innocent until they become old enough to understand God’s plan. As we come to an age of understanding we realize that all men are born with a sentence of condemnation to hell[2] unless something is done about it. I trust that by the time you are reading this book you have already made the right choice. You are not ready for the following subjects unless you have first prepared yourself to die[3].

What is your life worth? To God you are important, worth more than anything else in this whole world. You are worth the cost of His perfect and righteous son Jesus Christ. Not only that but when He first began the creation He already had a plan of salvation for you[4], then worked His plan in the proper time. You have a birthright that you need to claim for yourself; it includes God’s plan for your life. Do not sell your birthright for fun and pleasure. There is much enjoyment in following Godly principals and I promise that you will never regret it. Read the following subjects and if you have questions, discuss them with your parents or your ministry.

You will notice small numbers as you read, like this: [5]. It means there is a footnote at the bottom of the page referring to a Bible verse. Please take your Bible and look them up.

Wishing you God’s choice blessings,

Amos K. Martin

Your Invisible Friend

Holy Spirit

What if you would die tonight, where do you think you would find yourself after death? Does anyone care? Yes! Jesus cares, the church cares, your parents care, I care.

In all likelihood, on the day you were born, your family was overjoyed. Your parents probably had many dreams for your future and wondered what your character will be like. Some may have said he has a nose like his father or he has dark eyes like his mother’s side of the family. But you were not quite the same as any one else, rather you were just the way God intended for you to be. You have a soul that never existed before you did, and that soul will live forever; it can never be destroyed.

There’s a war going on for your soul. Jesus wants it and Satan does too1[6]. It is hard for you to imagine, but there is another world called the spirit world[7] that operates by a different set of laws. If we want to communicate with someone at a distance we use a telephone or some other electronic aid. Communications in the spirit world are only through the spirit[8].

You are made up of body, soul, and spirit[9]. The body only functions in this world and has many limitations, it is what we bury at a funeral. The spirit and soul are active in the body so long as it has life. When the body dies, the spirit and soul leave the body.

The spirit is where your emotions and feelings can be influenced by good or evil spirits.The soul is the real you, where your character and goals reside. We can communicate with the spirit world only through our spirit.

The spirit world contains a good Spirit (God’s), and an evil spirit (Satan’s). Because we are born in sin, our communications are automatically established with the evil spirits and that is why we must be born again[10].

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, wants to be your invisible Friend.

Twice Born

Born Again

I have a riddle for you to think about. When is a baby chick born? Is it when the hen lays the egg or when the chick hatches? Or is a baby chick born twice? I don’t know the answer either, but the Bible tells us that humans can be born the second time[11].

Being born again is the first step of a Christian’s life and should take place before baptism and church membership.

However some people have been baptized into the church and later thought that they had not been born again. So that we clearly understand what born again means, we will briefly review it here.

When Adam and Eve sinned, that sin was passed on to every human being[12]. It also corrupted their will so that sinning became a natural part of everyone. It’s as if someone penned a dog in a pasture and even though the pasture is filled with lush grass, and a stream, the dog starves. On the other hand, if one put a cow on the same pasture it would probably do very well. The difference, of course, is that a cow is naturally adapted to live on grass. Humans are naturally sinners and they will sin.

One must confess to God that he is a sinner and ask God to be merciful to him[13]. He must then renounce sin and allow the Holy Spirit to control his life. This will cause him to become a new man and it is like being born into a new life. The old way of life is crucified with Christ on the cross and is dead[14]. He is now adopted into God’s family and becomes a child of God.

The first time you were born you came into this world as a baby, this was your first birth. When you committed yourself to Christ, you were born again, this was your second birth. Unless we are born again, we won’t see the kingdom of God[15].

One who is born again desires to worship with others of the same faith, therefore he will request baptism, which is an outer sign of being born again. I trust you have prayed the sinner’s prayer, been baptized, and received into the church.

It’s Nice to Have Friends

Friendship

We are made with a need for others. In fact, we have interaction with others almost constantly in our daily life. We live with people, work with people, socialize with people, worship with people.

God wants us to have friends…lots of them. As Christians we are to encourage one another, support each other, and warn others when they fail in their Christian life. The Proverbs writer gives a basic guideline, if you want to have friends you must be one[16]. Become interested in others, both boys and girls, with a wholesome interest.

Be aware that people consist of two classes, Christians and non-Christians. One group is serving God and the other is serving Satan. Within the Christian group there are many different ways of practicing Christianity. Develop friendships with those who practice a lifestyle of similar standards and values as yours.

Always be courteous and friendly to everyone so your faith speaks through your lifestyle, warning sinners and encouraging saints.

Choose your friends carefully. You will want to be with those who are trustworthy and are good supporters of the church. The Bible tells us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers[17]. If one has been excommunicated from the church, you will want to be friendly with him/her but not in a way to encourage his/her life style. They need to be encouraged to work through their situation so they can be forgiven by God and reinstated into the church.

It can be interesting to discuss spiritual things and to read the Bible together.

One hears of disrespect among the youth such as sneaking away from one, using nick names, or mocking one who may be a bit different. This is not acceptable for those who are practicing the love of God[18]. Rather we try to be friendly to everyone and enjoy each other’s company.

But, What Can We Do?

Socializing

God meant for us to enjoy each other’s company and fellowship. Getting together with friends, both boys and girls, to play games, sing hymns and socialize can be fun and is a means of meeting and learning to know new friends. It is important that activities are in good taste when boys and girls are socializing together.

Having good clean fun creates pleasant memories for you to recall later in life. Do things you will enjoy talking about to your children and that you will never need to be ashamed of. Some wholesome activities include, singing together, playing games, work projects for someone in need, or organizing a group to sing in homes, or visiting rest homes[19], etc. I remember visiting a retirement home where a small group went down the hall and stopped at each door to sing a few hymns. After a little while there was a following of residents and it developed into a sizeable group of people enjoying themselves.

Improper games, dancing, or mixed swimming, are not good moral activities for God’s children to be involved in. Close physical contact stirs immoral thoughts which break God’s laws[20]. This gives Satan an advantage for temptation and as God’s children, we do not want to give him this opportunity. When an inappropriate activity is suggested, don’t participate. Usually there are others who will support you.

Partying that includes drinking, smoking, watching videos, card playing, or going to a theater, is a very poor testimony, as well as poor health practice. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you would need to call your parents and tell them to pick you up at the local police station? You certainly don’t want to go places or do things that you wouldn’t want to be doing if Jesus was along. Worse yet, what if Christ returns for His church and you wouldn’t be ready?

The Bible tells us the time will come that the Holy Spirit closes the door and we can no longer call on Jesus[21].

But, All my Friends Are Doing It!

Peer Pressure

“But, all my friends are doing it!” How often is this said when youth are asked not to do something or dress in a questionable manner? Peer pressure can be good or bad. It is up to us to use it to our advantage. When we hesitate to do something questionable or go somewhere that doesn’t seem to be quite the right thing, because someone may see us, peer pressure can be a blessing[22].

When we do something wrong just because our friends are doing it and we don’t want to be different, peer pressure becomes an evil thing.

When I was with the youth, there were those that did mischief and as time went on they married and raised families. Today when I meet one of them I can’t help but remember some of the things they did. If they would know what I am thinking, they would be very embarrassed. I’m sure that many times they regret some of the things they did.

More than that, when you allow others to tell you what to do, you are allowing someone else’s guidelines and standards to become your own. You must realize that though they convince you to be involved in something questionable, you will be responsible for the consequences[23]. Satan’s work has a terrible cost and he has absolutely no mercy. He wants to destroy you. He will use others to approach you if he can. He uses people and circumstances to accomplish his evil[24].

Be a man and establish Christian guidelines and standards that you can live with and need never be ashamed of. I can assure you that you, will never regret living a good and upright life. By having high standards you develop integrity and the respect of others[25].

You will be an asset to the church and the community. You will be a person that others enjoy being with and everyone will trust and enjoy doing business with you. In addition you will be the kind of man that leaves an example others will want to follow. This type of person usually has many friends of a respectable nature.

Getting the Most for the Least

Stewardship

How much are the following things worth: Your closest friends? Having Christian parents? Being able to work, play, enjoy food?

Isn’t it true that the things we take for granted are things we cannot buy at any price? These are all blessings that God gave us. In His own wisdom, He gives many material blessings as well as good health to some, and to others few blessings and/or poor health.

One thing He expects from all Christian people: that we wisely use what He gives us[26]. Do you realize that unless the Lord first gives us money, there is no way we can give to the church or some other mission? We are giving back to Him what is already His and was loaned to us to use. He doesn’t measure how much we give by the amount we give, but rather by what we have left after we give. When Jesus saw the widow cast two mites into the treasury, He said, she gave more than all the rest because she gave of her needs[27].

He expects us as His children to make the most efficient use of the things He gives including time and money[28]. These two important elements are very easy to waste. The world is clamoring for both, but Paul said we should use these things only for that which edifies. We have free choice to do whatever we want with them, but we are responsible to God for the way we use them.

Wasting time and money on sports and entertainment does not have God’s blessings.

It is not as though God needs what we have, He is the creator and can create anything. By giving us these things and seeing how we use them, He measures our obedience and love for Him[29]. For this reason we use our vehicles, time and money wisely. We use them for encouraging one another, fellowshipping together, and helping those in need.

Playing the Game

Sports

Sports has become almost like a religion to the world. There are those who can quote the speed of a famous pitcher’s throw, but can not recite the twenty-third Psalm. Does this please God? I expect you know the answer. The world has gone mad concerning sports and I fear it has infected the church. The income of a professional sports player is beyond reason and he has become an entertainer.

So, what should our response be? It certainly does not mean we can’t play a game of baseball now and then, but, rather that we play our games in a Godly manner. When we play we allow everyone to help regardless of their ability or talent. We play for the enjoyment and fellowship. How would you feel if you were not gifted well in sports and every time someone picks sides you are the last one picked? Teams should not be permanently established but should be made up randomly for each game. The goal of the game is for everyone to enjoy themselves.

If you think about the reasons for professional sports you can see that they go against God’s principles. They play to prove themselves better than others; As Christians we think others better than ourselves[30]. They play aggressively which often creates ill feelings; We show love and spiritual affection to one another[31].

They desire to proudly make a name for themselves; We know we are unworthy of what God has done for us and are satisfied with what He has blessed us with[32].

Can you imagine the scene before God’s throne on judgement day? As each soul gives a report on what he/she did in his/her life, it could sound something like this: “I hit a ball with a stick for others to chase, then sometimes I chased the ball when others hit it with a stick.” It certainly is not as respectful as: “I helped build homes so people had shelter,” or “I grew food so people have things to eat”. There are many other things helpful to mankind that you can be involved in without being ashamed before God.

Becoming a Man

Tobacco-Alcohol

Can you picture this scene?

Jesus is coming back to this earth for a visit and sitting at a table with liquor bottles setting on the table in a room that is blue with cigarette and cigar smoke.

Neither can I. We know this sounds extreme and yet does it make sense that a child of His does this? I don’t think so either. There is nothing compatible with fellowshipping with Jesus and drinking or smoking[33]. I can not think of one good thing to say about these habits. If some who drink until they lose good judgement, could see how they respond afterward, they would be very embarrassed[34].

The sad part about this scene is that probably everyone present secretly wishes he would not have these unbecoming habits. One can say we generally don’t sit at bars and drink and smoke. Is it any better if we drink a little bit or smoke in our home as we go about our responsibilities? Everyone who is dealing with these habits, started out by doing them a little bit. Many who do these things control how or where they do it, but does that make it right?

The doctors tell us, even second hand smoke is bad for our health. Isn’t smoking only once a day too much? The government calls it sin and requires a warning label on the packaging and advertising. Research has proven that just one glass of liquor robs our ability of good judgement.

Make a man out of yourself and never let tobacco touch your lips. Do not allow yourself even one social drink[35]. You will never regret taking a stand against these and your testimony may prevent someone else from becoming a slave to these ugly habits. Usually you will find these two among criminals and law breakers. These habits accompany swearing, gambling and such like[36]. They are tools of Satan helping him accomplish his work. When someone gives in to one of them, Satan has broken down their resistance and leads them on to another.

What May I Do?

Entertainment

“What may I do?” This is a good question. What does a young man do to have personal growth, develop right attitudes, master good habits, and be an asset to his family and church?

First, look around and you will notice it is more enjoyable to be with some people than others. Copy the habits and principles that you appreciate in them, then practice good habits based on these principles. Other ideal principles to follow are listed as the fruit of the Spirit in the Bible[37].

The song, “Yield Not to Temptation” gives helpful guidelines for young men: Shun evil companions, dark passions subdue, don’t take God’s name in vain, be thoughtful, earnest, kindhearted and true, look always to Jesus. View life in a positive manner[38].

You are influenced by the type of music you listen to. Be very careful. A safe guideline is no music with instruments. God made the human voices to blend together very beautifully and as soon as instruments are added they take away from the beauty of the human voice. Rock, Country, and Western music is an absolute NO. It exerts a power over you that is hard to break away from. It is a tool direct from Satan[39]. Listen only to singers who are Christians and practice God’s principles.

The radio, television, and video player are other very dangerous forms of entertainment.[40] Their programs are designed to attract as many listeners as possible and therefore they consist of worldly entertainment.[41] Don’t be mislead by so called religious entertainment. This, too, is designed to draw people and in many cases is just another form of worldly entertainment. As soon as you turn one of these instruments on, you lost control of what you are exposed to.

Another big NO is the theater. The people who write plays and stories are in it for money. They care little about the souls of those whom they entertain. Satan uses these channels to go into the midst of people’s lives and get their minds off the soul’s destiny. Don’t be deceived[42]!

Speaking the Truth in Love

Sound Speech

God has given us speech to glorify Him and to communicate with each other. Our manner of speaking can be a blessing or a hindrance. Therefore, it is important that we don’t use a lot of unnecessary words[43]. Using strong language and cursing may become habit forming. After habits have developed we use unnecessary words, unconsciously causing embarrassment.

It is obnoxious when someone is conversing with us and the conversation is peppered with curse words. They are meant to strengthen the speaker’s statements. But, if we are one of God’s children, we don’t need to strengthen our statements. We portray an image of truthfulness and listeners know that what we say is usually correct. They can generally depend on it. This is integrity.

Slang is another form of speech that is undesirable. When words are used a certain way, but mean something else, they can cause misunderstandings. As an example, sometimes the word kid is used for children. The real meaning of kid is a young goat. Jesus said the goats will be separated from the sheep and will be included with those that are condemned[44]. We don’t wish that on anyone.

Develop speech habits that you can use freely among any mixed audience. Conversation is an important part of your working and social life. You create your image and reputation with others by the way you communicate. You develop speaking habits and by consciously developing good habits you are a better testimony for your faith.

Paul said to speak the truth in love[45]. Proverbs tells us that a soft answer turneth away wrath[46]. When one speaks to us in an angry manner and we respond with a loving answer it can change their response immediately.

We must always be truthful. There are times when it is hard to be truthful, like when truth may hurt a friend, but if it will help them, it needs to be said. There are times that it is better to leave the truth unsaid and at those times we don’t say anything. We must learn to use good judgement in our speech. God cannot bless when there is untruth.

Living with the People God Gave Me

Character

You may be working away from home, or you may be with your family on the farm, or perhaps some other business.

Sometimes when one is born into a family business, he grows up without having the experience of working for someone else. This is a time of personal growth and learning how to live, work, and interact with others, even how to live with your own family. As a child of God, you want to show respect and honor to your parents[47] as well as develop a close relationship with your brothers and sisters[48]. God planned for you to be born into this family. The way you respond to your family members involves many areas of your life, as well as the testimony you leave with your neighbors and friends. Your relationship and spiritual support to your family determines how you relate to the church as well. Youth is a time of making memories and having pleasant experiences with family members which you can reminisce about later in life. It is enjoyable and interesting to talk about the “good old days” at family gatherings.

If you are working for someone else, always do just a little more than they expect of you[49]. Build integrity and God will bless your work. When a person is dependable and trustworthy, one can usually find a job. Employers are looking for responsible employees. Ask yourself the question: Is my employer enhanced by me being a part of this work? Have I made a difference in the area of my responsibilities? Be a Joseph.

There may be times when you think you had no opportunity to pick your siblings and you certainly would not have picked the ones you have. God makes no mistakes and you belong right where you are. Make the best of it and enjoy your times together.

Practice the fruit of the Spirit with each other[50]. Enjoy the presence and fellowship, there are many who lost a brother or sister through death, or may never have had siblings and wish they could have. If God takes one of them home to heaven, you never want to have regrets.

Turning the Other Cheek

Non-Resistance

Martyrs Mirror tells about a man named Dirk Williams who was arrested for his faith. While running across a frozen lake, one of the pursuing authorities broke through the ice into the cold water. When Dirk saw it, he returned and rescued the authority from the icy water. The head officer did not let Dirk go and several weeks later he was tied to a stake and burned alive. Do you think this was fair?

By our measurement it was not fair, but just having the privilege to live our life is not fair. God through His mercy, has given us life even though we don’t deserve it. In all fairness we should not even live, because we never deserved it. Therefore our life is really His to do with as He sees fit. His commands are simply summed up in the fact that we are to help each other on the way to heaven[51]. It is God’s desire that every soul spend eternity in heaven with Him[52].

Going back to our example, think how one who witnessed the scene, could have felt about it. And what if he considered calling on God for his salvation? This certainly could have been a winning situation, even though Dirk lost his life here on earth, he gained heaven and another soul was added to God’s family.

Jesus said that if someone strikes us on the one cheek, we shall turn the other[53]. He promised to bless us for this[54]. If one steals our coat it doesn’t mean that He will give us a better coat, but rather that it will strengthen our relationship with Him. He will take care of punishing the evildoers. Our calling is to forgive, be a testimony for Him, encourage the saints, and warn the sinners.This will influence how we drive on the highways, as well as how we interact in our work and social life. As the world observes us living like this, they will better understand when we refuse to fight in the army. Christians going to war is not consistent with the scriptures. How can a professing Christian be in a war, shooting at other professing Christians on the other side? We need to show God’s love to the world instead.

How Do I Find the Right One?

Dating

“How do I find the right one?” This may be the second most important decision you will ever make in your life time. Men have chosen life companions by wrong standards and have had a very miserable situation the rest of their life. Please be very careful in choosing a helpmeet. God intended for you to have one that will be a help to you for as long as you both live.

This is one decision that God has given us much liberty. Paul tells us to marry only in the Lord[55]. You are not ready to consider dating until you have first made a commitment to God and have been baptized into the church. Then you will want to date one who is a church member of the same faith as you are, of a meek and quiet spirit, is pleasant and friendly to be around, has high standards and integrity[56]. When there are several churches involved it immediately becomes more complicated.

Give it serious thought and prayer before asking a girl to be your special friend. Consult your parents, they may know something you don’t. Do not date for the sake of dating, but only date when you are seriously considering a girl as a possible future wife. It is not fair to a girl to lead her on if you feel uncomfortable with the relationship. It is not good to date for a considerable length of time and then break up, however if there is a justifiable reason, do not hesitate to end the relationship.

When dating for a little while, discuss spiritual things. You want to understand what her standards are, and her vision for the future. Have devotions and prayer together regularly, it will reveal much about where she stands.

Do not become too intimate or familiar with her such as petting or other forms of familiarity. A good standard to follow is a “hands off” policy. It is your responsibility to keep yourself and her pure[57]. You may hear that others are not doing this; that does not make it right. Spend your dates doing things with other couples, such as visiting, singing, playing games, observing nature, spiritual discussions, etc. This is a time of getting to know each other. Both of you will want to have a clear conscience and a pure heart.

Must I Face Life Alone?

Singleness

No! If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you are never alone. In fact you have the best and most dependable Friend you will ever have[58].

We often make plans, then ask God to bless them. That is not what God has in mind when He asks us to surrender ourselves to Him. He wants to make our plans[59], then as we surrender to Him, He will bless them. Sometimes a young man may not meet the one which seems right for him or he may not feel a desire for marriage. This will allow him to go through life with less family responsibilities and he can concentrate on living the spiritual life more completely[60]. Paul was a single man and God blessed him mightily. In fact, he stated that it is good not to marry if one can keep himself pure in thought and deed.

If your calling is to stay single, it does not mean that you are any less of a person, or that you are less important to God. Don’t worry if your friends are showing interest in a special companion or if they are planning marriage. If you have surrendered your will to God, you will know when someone special comes into your life.

If you choose to lead the single life, set your goals to remain pure. It is better to be married than to lead a sinful life of impurity. Do not let your singleness allow room for serving Satan. Spend time in private devotions and in serving others. You may be able to reach out to those who are having struggles in life that the married cannot relate to[61]. In the past, singles have been a great blessing to the church.

There is nothing in the scriptures that requires one to lead a married life; in fact, it seems that God leaves that choice to each individual as he sees fit[62].

It is important that whether one stays single or gets married, the motive and reason is to be in the Lord’s will and accept God’s plan for his life. Whatever he does will be done to honor and glorify God.

Exciting Plans for the Future

Engagement

This is usually an enjoyable time of learning to know each other better while planning your future together. Don’t forget God[63].

Your wedding is an important and sacred ordinance of God and must be planned and respected as such. You will want to support the guidelines of the church as well as your parents.

Discuss the plans with your bishop to be sure he is comfortable and to prevent any embarrassing moments the day of the wedding.

Remember the most important guest is Jesus and you will want Him to feel at home.

It is the Groom-to-be’s responsibility to take the spiritual leadership. By this time you both should be comfortable in having devotions and praying together[64].

A successful marriage must be a triangle involving three persons: a groom, a bride, and the Holy Spirit. When planning your new home always plan within God’s will.

Be very courteous to each other, and keep communications open at all times. When the two of you don’t see things the same way, discuss it. God meant for the home to be a foretaste of heaven, a place that both husband and wife will always look forward to coming home to.

Starting out with excessive debt will become even more complicated if God decides to bless the home with children. This will cause increased living expenses that may not have been planned. One of the things you will want to do early in your planning is to estimate your monthly income and organize a budget based on it. In your budget, include a plan to lay away a small sum from every paycheck for a rainy day. A budget will give you a guideline for planning in other areas, such as, should you buy or rent a home, would it be wise to buy some used furniture, etc.

Make a resolution together that you will help each other keep yourselves pure. Intimate relations were planned by God only for those who have made a marriage covenant between them. You will never regret having had a pure, wholesome engagement-it creates the setting for a better and more enjoyable marriage.

When One Plus One Equals One

Marriage

This is an era of your life when you’ll be creating many fond memories. It is a time to learn to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to relate to each other. Enjoy it! God meant for a man and his wife to enjoy each other[65].

Keep God in your every day lives by establishing a family altar. Speak often of His mercy and goodness to mankind. Set up a system of Bible reading such as, reading the Bible together from cover to cover, or studying a book in the Bible, or go through a good Christian book written by a Godly author[66].

In your plans allow enough flexibility that if God blesses your home with children, it does not create a hardship. Through a blessing like this, God is saying: “Please raise this child for Me, teaching him/her all about Me as well as the need for salvation so I can bring him/her home to heaven”. Never forget that this will be the most precious item ever put under your control. This is the only thing that you can take along to eternity. It is something that will be forever. There is hardly anything more exciting then some little ones running and playing around your home with a mouth like yours and eyes like your wife’s[67].

Allow time for your family, you must plan it and make it happen. Satan is a home destroyer, therefore, good homes don’t just happen. They need planning and then working the plan. Your responsibility is to support your family with food, clothes and such other necessities that are required. It is not necessary that you live like the “Jones”. You do not need the nicest, the most, or the best to have a happy home[68]. Where love abides a lack of luxuries is not missed.

Support the church, follow the guidelines, have a positive attitude towards it. Attend services regularly and when there are special services, go. Teach your family that church is a very important part of your family life. Practice the fruit of the Spirit toward each other in your daily life.

Wishing you God’s choice blessings in your new home!

1 Ecc.12:1

2 Rom. 3:23

3 Heb. 9:27

4 Heb. 4:3

5 2 Tim. 2:15

6 Matt. 18:14

7 2 Cor. 4:18

8 John 4:23

9 I Thess. 5:23

10 John 3:16

11 John 3:16

12 Rom. 5:12

13 Luke 18:13

14 Rom. 6:6-8

15 John 3:3

16 Prov. 18:24

17 2 Cor. 6:14

18 1 John 2:10, 11

19 Gal. 6:10

20 1 Cor. 6:18

21 Luke 13:25

22 1 Thess. 5:22

23 Rom 14:10

24 Matt. 16:22, 23

25 1 Pet. 3:16

26 1 Cor. 10:23

27 Mark 12:43

28 Eph. 5:15

29 John 14:23

30 1 Cor. 10:24

31 Eph. 4:32

32 James 4:6

33 Rev. 22:11

34 Rom. 13:13

35 1 Cor. 10:31

36 1 Cor. 3:16

37 Gal. 5:22

38 Col. 3:17

39 2 Cor. 11:14

40 1 John 2:15

41 2 Tim. 3:5

42 Gal. 6:7

43 Matt. 12:36,37; Eph. 4:29

44 Matt.25:33

45 Eph. 4:15

46 Prov. 15:1

47 Eph. 6:1-3

48 Eph. 4:2

49 Eph. 6:5, 6

50 Gal. 5:22, 23

51 Mark 12:31

52 Luke 19:10

53 Luke 6:29

54 Rom. 12:17-21

55 1 Cor 7:39

56 1 Pet. 3:1-4

57 1 Cor. 3:17; 1 Tim. 5:22

58 Heb. 13:5

59 Mark 12:30

60 1 Cor. 7:17

61 1 Cor. 7:7

62 1 Cor. 7:38

63 1 Cor. 10:31

64 Eph. 5:19-21

65 1 Pet. 3:7

66 Eph. 5:19

67 Psa. 127:3

68 1 Tim. 5:8