Good Ideas for 2013

I've never been big on making resolutions, but I think the end of a year is a good time to take stock of our lives and see what we've done right and what we've done wrong, and implement ways to make the next year better. Instead of cumbersome resolutions, I have started a list of some good ideas for 2013. I have only one so far: to keep myself unstained by the world. To be honest, this idea isn't mine-it is God's; also, this idea isn't just an idea-it is God's definition of true religion. (James 1:27.) God's people are repeatedly (in every book of the Bible) called to live lives that are entirely different from those of people who don't know Him. My favorite passage regarding this is Ephesians 5:1-7. I like this because it is so applicable. The passage mentions coarse and crude joking, obscenity and vulgarity, hallmarks of almost all modern movies and television. There is not a day when this kind of speech doesn't invade our lives-not just on TV, but on bumper stickers, and even coming out of the mouths of some pastors who think that vulgar speech is the only way to reach a wide audience. I know that the friends I choose, and the entertainment I choose, will either help or hinder me in this area, so I will be more intentional with my time and how I spend it. I will definitely be spending the majority of my time with friends who communicate and joke without having to resort to crudeness. Paul is clear in Eph. 5:1 that this is one way we can imitate God and live the holy and separate lives He's called us to.