Because we live in a culture that increasingly leans toward
commercialism, materialism, and secularism, it is not always easy to
keep the soul nourished.
The challenge of these days, when times are not hospitable to
spiritual growth, is how to nuture, feed, heal, restore, and renew the
soul. Here are 21 practical suggestions for building a stronger
spiritual life.
1. Be a river, not a swamp.
The Bible says: “Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of
those who believe in me” (John 7:38, margin).* Remember, it is the
mountain stream that carries fresh, life-giving water because it flows
out. However, the swamp is stagnant and life-devouring. A swamp collects
and retains water that comes its way. Don’t be the kind of person who
seeks to accumulate much before allowing a little to flow through.
As Christians we are to let blessings flow through us and on to
others. When we hoard and dam the blessings in our lives we are in
danger of becoming spiritually stagnant, emotionally detached, and
intellectually cynical. Resolve to break up the dam and let blessings
flow like a river. The freshness is in the flow.
2. Identify blessings.
Too often we go through life oblivious to the good that comes flowing
into our lives. Try this spiritual exercise for one week: At the end of
the first day, identify a blessing that came to you from a family
member. At the end of the second day, a blessing from a neighbor. Third
day, from a friend. Fourth day, from a work colleague. Fifth day, from a
stranger. Sixth day, from a child. On the seventh day, a blessing that
came from an “enemy.”
3. Be like Moses-speak words of blessing.
One of the most beautiful and compassionate passages in the Bible contains these words of blessing pronounced by Moses:
May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace
(Numbers 6:24-26).
Get creative with language, and speak words that will uplift,
encourage, hearten, and bless other people. As you build them up, your
own spirit will get stronger.
4. Nurture a shared prayer life.
Increase the amount of time you spend in prayer by sharing in prayer with others. Some ways to do this include:
Letting friends know you are always available for prayer.
Attending regularly held prayer groups.
Participating in a prayer chain.
5. Take a step of faith.
Spiritual growth means taking a leap of faith from time to time. Rather
than trying to get everything in place before you start something
important, why not follow God’s leading and allow the plan to evolve?
This means taking a step of faith and trusting God to provide what may
be needed for success.
6. Restore someone’s faith.
Today, make time to heal a wounded heart, to extend kindness to someone
who really needs a friend, or to help gather up pieces of a broken
dream. Today, do whatever you can to radiate God’s unconditional love.
7. Be a grateful person.
Start every day with a morning prayer of gratitude to God for the gift
of a new day. Do this even if the day ahead appears ominous. Conclude
every day with an evening prayer of gratitude to God for the gift of the
preceding hours. Do this even if you’ve had a very tough day.
8. Share the journey.
Hook up with one other person who is seeking to grow spiritually. Agree
to meet once a week for a period of time to study and reflect on
spiritual matters. A friend of mine, who is a busy executive in Toronto,
Ontario, met for six months with another man to do Bible study. “No
matter how hectic our schedules, we always met each week during our
lunch hour at a downtown church that kindly provided us with a room for
our meeting. Those were good months when a lot of spiritual growth took
place,” he says.
9. Serve.
Look for ways to serve the community, especially tasks that promise no
reward, such as picking up litter on the streets. Read and reflect on
the action of Jesus in John 13:1-5.
10. Cultivate a little solitude.
“Solitude makes us tougher toward ourselves and tenderer toward others;
in both ways it improves our character,” noted philosopher Friedrich
Wilhelm Nietzsche. Spend some time away from the crowd and the noise of
life. Set aside a few minutes to be alone-just you and God. In quietness
we turn our minds away from the problems of life and fix our thoughts
on the mind of God.
11. Fast and pray.
Prayer linked with fasting was often done by people in the Bible. Ezra
8:23 reports: “So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take
care of us, and he heard our prayer.” The next time you are asked to
pray urgently for someone in difficulty, consider combining your praying
with some fasting.
12. Turn worries over to God.
This is a clear teaching of Scripture: “Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you” (Psalm 55:22). Do this each time a worry
crops up.
13. Spread love wherever you go.
That is the advice of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who advised: “Spread
love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house. . . . Let no one
ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living
expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your
eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”
14. Keep your priorities straight.
Know what is ultimately important and what is not. Consider the words of
former President George Bush: “I am blessed with a close and wonderful
family, and I want to spend the rest of my life letting them know how
much I love them and appreciate them,” he said. “One of my most
important accomplishments, one I am still working on, is to be a huge
success in the grandfather business. I would like to be remembered for
integrity, service, and family.”
15. Strive for excellence.
The Bible tells us: “Whatever you do, do well” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Be
the best that you can be at whatever station in life God has placed you.
16. Use it or lose it.
God has generously endowed each of us with unique gifts and talents.
Make use of them or you will run the risk of losing them. “Use your
gifts faithfully, and they shall be enlarged; practice what you know,
and you shall attain to higher knowledge,” noted ninteenth-century poet
Sir Edwin Arnold.
17. Meditate on Scripture.
The Bible is loaded with verses of comfort, encouragement, and wisdom.
Make it a habit to read and study your Bible in a regular, disciplined
way. Highlight verses that speak to you. Meditate on those words.
Memorize some of the passages so you can recall them from memory at a
future time.
18. Be reliable.
Do what you say you will do-whether it’s convenient or not. Follow
through on all of your commitments, large and small. By your actions,
show others you are a person who can be trusted and counted upon.
19. Ask God to make you a blessing today.
A great way to grow in wonder and amazement is by asking God to turn
your life into a blessing. Do this each morning before resuming your
daily activities. Offer a short, simple prayer like this one: “Dear God,
on this day make my life a blessing to someone, somewhere.” Then pay
close attention to every person you encounter during the day, as God
will honor your prayer, sometimes in surprising ways.
20. Spend time in nature.
This was something done by the psalm writers, and they gleaned
spiri-tual lessons from their time in nature. “The heavens tell of the
glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship” (Psalm
19:1). “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your
fingers-the moon and the stars you have set in place-what are mortals
that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?”
(Psalm 8:3,4). “Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you
decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never
again cover the earth” (Psalm 104:8, 9).
21. Exercise your power of choice.
No matter what happens to you, you always have the freedom to choose.
You can select joy over despair. You can select love over hate. You can
select forgiveness over revenge. You can select growth over stagnation.
Remember that a crisis can evoke the best in us or the worst in us. The
choice is ours!
* Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Source: vibrantlife
