Living in Accord With Our New Hearts

I've been spending time reading other peoples' stories, but there are good stories all around me, in my life. I know one woman (you probably do, too) who is just living for herself right now. She's just done living for others, or even doing much to help them. She's pretty much abandoned her family to live in her own house in another state, and doing whatever she wants to make herself happy. She's living for her own happiness. I realize there is not too much standing between me (and you) and her lifestyle. But there are a few things, and they are strong. The biggest thing standing between is God and all His promises to keep us-to not lose even one of us who are truly His. He has given me (and maybe, probably you) a new heart made of flesh, a heart infused with sacrificial love and brotherly affection for others. We need to stand firmly on His promises and not think we can live a Christian life on our own. Secondly, there is our part: the things we do to keep our hearts in line with God's: the spiritual disciplines. We need to turn off the TV and limit the exposure we get from the world to live for our happiness. We need to read the Bible. We need to pray. We need to examine the new hearts God has given us and make sure they are not reverting back to stone or becoming infected with the world's false idea of happiness. We need to be reminded daily that true happiness comes only when we follow God's way and live the life He wants us to live.