Spiritual Self-examination

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This is from Mark Batterson's blog:

I think we live in a culture that has largely lost the art of spiritual self-examination. A lot of people know more about their favorite celebrity than they do about themselves. We're strangers to ourselves. After all, it's so much easier watching reality TV and living vicariously through others. So how do we do practice the art of examination? Well, there are lots of ways to do it, but the most important is daily Scripture reading. James 1 likens the Bible to a mirror. It helps us see ourselves as we truly are. Hebrews 4:12 says it reveals the hidden thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It's like an x-ray of your soul. It helps us see what is inside. Now here's the reason self-examination via Scripture reading is so important: the more you read it the more potential you have to reflect it.

A Bigger "Yes," Compartmentalization and Integration

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This last weekend I talked about our hurried lives and the bigger "yes" of God's Kingdom that leads to saying "no" to lesser things. I'm absolutely convinced that too many Christians we're endangering the faith of their kids by pushing faith building family and church priorities to the periphery of their lives.

But there's another answer to hurriedness that is endangering the faith of our kids: compartmentalize less and integrate more. Here's a simple example of what I mean and then a caveat.

An example: What if, you while you were on the sidelines of the practice or game field, you regularly looked for and prayed for opportunities to be a witness for Christ to other parents on the sideline? And what if you regularly prayed with your kids for opportunities for them to do likewise with their teammates? What if you regularly challenged your kids to be Daniels--that is, to work hard at their sport as a witness to their commitment to Christ?

But here's a caveat: Don't think that you will succeed at integrating the spiritual into all areas of your life if you don't take time to develop your relationship with God privately and corporately with other believers. That's why saying "no" more often and integrating the spiritual and both/and propositions.