Colossians 3:12-15

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one Body.
And be thankful.

These verses are the recipe for a good life. If we all lived by these verses, we would be the happiest, most influential, holy people on the planet and Christianity would be the fastest growing religion. Unfortunately, most of these virtues do not come naturally to most of us even in our most innocent states. I mean, just look at a toddler and stand them up to the list: Gentle, patient, kind, compassionate, thankful, peaceful. Yeah, generally, they maybe do one of those things kinda well but all of them? forget it!

If you memorize any scripture, this would be the one. Frame it, put it on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your computer at work. These are the guidelines to a peaceful and joyful life that will leave the world a better place when we’re gone.