Counsel for Members

While reading through 1st and 2nd Thessalonians I came up witha list of attributes that Paul advice the members of the church to improve upon.
-love one another even as the Lord loves you
-abstain from fornication
-sanctify and honor your bodies
-endeavor in good works earnestly
-be honest
-always be prepared- not lazy
-edify one another
-comfort the feebleminded
-support the weak
-be patient with all men
-pray without ceasing
-give thanks to God always
-listen to the prophets
-abstain from all appearances of evil
-increase your faith
That's a lot of things to be told to improve upon. But one thing that I noticed while making this list is that this list has been the same for generations and generations! It is still the same list today that we are asked to continually work on. None of these should come as a surprise to anyone!
There are a couple of these attributes that stand out a little more than the rest to me. First is to sanctify and honor your body. 1Corinthians 3:16-17 says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of Gof dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." So how can I santify and honor my body? By following the word of wisdom found in D&C 89. I can be more careful about what I expose my body too- both in environment, food, people, etc. You would not watch an inappropriate movie in the temple or on holy ground or subject yourself to bad people or environments. I need to be better about the things I watch on TV or in movies. Not that I watch anything terrible, but sometimes I think we get desensitized to things that perhaps we should really stear clear of.
Second one that stood out to me was to pray without ceasing. "Without ceasing" sounds like a TON of praying to me! But I think it's more than just being on your hands and knees in constant prayer. Having a prayer in your heart can be just as effective. I need to be better about this one. I think that I need to be better at saying my prayers morning AND night. Because then it will help me remember throughout the day what it is my goals are and what it is I need help with. I'm going to try to be better about this one.
The third one was to endeavor in good works earnestly. I think I'm a fairly good person, but what does that even mean in the eyes of the Lord. What makes me a good enough person to enter into the Kingdom of God in the next life? I need to go above and beyond the ordinairy kindness. If someone is lost, dont just point in a general direction, but walk with them. If someone is hungry, dont just give them some of my meal, buy them their own meal! If someone is sad, don't just give ask if they are okay, but stay and listen. There is so much we can do as humans, yet we hold back when it comes to strangers. But we need to remember that even the most distant stranger is still a loved child of God who deserves some respect and kindness. Good works come in all types. But if I could just start by going above and beyond the usual kindness each day at least once- I think that's a start!