Sound words.

Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.Stay away from every kind of evil.

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

This is sound advice, succinct and trustworthy. I urge you, read every line and ponder on it. Seek to make it a reality in your walk with God, no matter how long it takes, no matter how long you have left.

Postscript: As best as I know, this is one of two cases where Apostle Paul gives a whole string of practical advice. The other one is in Romans 12:9-21, on the subject of acts of love. It is precisely Scriptures such as these in which I experience Paul's heart (and therefore God's heart) for God's people to "understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is." (Ephesians 3:18)