Well, I've been thinking a lot about "saving my life" and how often my choices revolve around my comfort, even good choices that appear [gulp] spiritual. I know how often I need to act based on what is right first, not what I feel like first. There's a time for acting based on feelings, but truthfully, I don't have any trouble with that.
I also wrote the verse out and have carried it around with me several days. Writing out a verse (even if it's just in a notebook) seems to help me take thinking about it seriously. I need to be doing it more.
And… remembering this verse helped me to clean the kitchen when I felt like sitting down for a cup of coffee (coffee first, housecleaning second, right? except sometimes I don't get to the second part). Making lunches and coffee for my husband at 4:00 am sometimes takes deliberate thinking (although this week it's two hours later, hurray!). My daughter asked me this week "Mom, why do you sound angry when you call me?" and I had to consider whether I was being angry when I called my children. I learned I needed to be deliberately taking a breath of patience when I call them. And I need to be praising them more than correcting them. That takes work!
I'm also looking at the rest of the coming week and month to plan to deny myself and follow Christ. I need to deny myself when I take care of my responsibilities even though my husband is home more this month. I know that I'm going to need to use my mornings for work, not ease, in order to rest in the afternoons and evenings. This morning, I need to be faithful to do laundry and finish cleaning the kitchen. I need to be faithful in my Bible reading. I need to be deliberate in how I make contact with my neighbors.
So, how is God's Word and the Holy Spirit changing you this week? What are you putting into practice?