It is so difficult to do what is right. My flesh wants one thing, but what God says is completely opposite. My mind is creative—especially when it comes to justifying what I do. I come up with all sorts of reasons in the moment of sin, and afterward I have to deal with the regret and guilt that follows.

There are many ways for me to motivate myself to do what’s right. I can be motivated by the fact that God is love, and that his commands are love. When I live in them I get to experience God’s protection for my life.

But I ran across this verse a couple of months ago, and it gives me a promise that motivates me:

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor. The way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26

When I make choices, I often think about how I would counsel another person faced with the same choice. I know that the way I choose to live gives all of my friends a picture of what it looks like to live like a Christian. When I live selfishly, I am giving my friends the approval to live selfishly.

If I want to be a guide to my friends, this means I must be making choices that I want them to make. In this way of thinking, I am loving my friends and God.