None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. God lays down a guiding principle that human nature makes almost impossible to live up to: We live to the Lord. It takes faith, courage, perseverance, and a great deal of vision to wrench one's thoughts, words, and actions out of the raging current of this world and paddle in the opposite direction. The effort is beneficial in itself, teaching us valuable lessons and building essential traits of character. We should set our minds to honor God in the little matters, so we will be in the habit of doing so when the big ones arise. As His representatives on earth, it is vital that whoever observes us sees a reflection of Him in us. Gratitude teaches acknowledgment of and obligation to God's providence, keeping our minds trained on the fact that, without God, we would have nothing, and thus we owe Him our obedience as our kind Benefactor. Living by faith means that we follow Jesus' teaching no matter where it leads us because He owns us wholly and completely by His redemptive work. We should do our very best to reject the anti-God practices of this world, no matter what they are and what may result, because we implicitly trust our Savior. To live is Christ, meaning our every waking moment should be lived with Christ foremost in mind: obeying Him, glorifying Him, thanking Him, pleasing Him. If we try to do this, we will make great strides toward being prepared for and hastening the establishment of God's Kingdom.