A Philosophy for Life

A Philosophy for Life

On a recent trip to Belize, it was a blessing to hear one of my closest friends teach a Bible class. The night before he was to teach and I was to preach, he asked me about my lesson. He said he was going to speak about his philosophy for life. He said that he had lived by it for a long time and that it was as easy as ABCD.

His lesson the next day in class was outstanding. He said that his life philosophy was made up of four statements; (1) Always be thankful. (2) Believe in yourself. (3) Care for others. (4) Don’t ever forget God. This is really great. It should remind us to have hearts filled with gratitude, and to be willing to express thanks often to people in our lives. It will help us get through tough times when we wonder if anyone believes in our work. It will remind us of the need to encourage, help, and build up others. Most importantly, it will keep us focused on God at all times.

It caused me to start wondering about how many preachers might have a similar philosophy for their lives. Paul would make statements such as, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “All things work together for good for those who love God and for those who are called according to His purpose.”

It also caused me to consider my own philosophy for living. I would probably say that it is built around preaching. It is something my Dad said to me many years ago. It is a rather simple yet profound statement. When he was asked what recommendations he would give preachers he thought for a long time before saying, “Preach the Word and love the people.” I have tried my best to live by that through the years and at some point added that I want to live a life that glorifies God.

A philosophy of life might help us remain focused and it might keep us going when life is difficult. What is your life philosophy?