At the Heart - Part 2

In light of the post I wrote regarding some struggles we Christians have with exercising spiritual disciplines, I thought it might be helpful to follow up with some practical ideas on how to focus our hearts and our minds heavenward. C.J. Mahaney proposes that these will help to cultivate a heart of humility.

First off I would recommend reading the above mentioned book, Humility by C.J Mahaney, and Shopping for Time by the Mahaney women. Both of these books offer a number of suggestions to help you actively pursue Christ in the day-to-day. Some of the ideas that I write can be found in more detail in these two books. I thought I'd just share what I like my day to look like. Obviously each day has its own trials and may not always be conducive to doing all of the things I'll list, but this is what I strive for...and this helps keep my heart focused on the best things!

1) Rise early. I used to find this task quite overwhelming as it was often hard to focus my mind so early in the morning, and I just found that I had too much I wanted to read, or too much to pray. The book Shopping for Time gave me a good idea to as to how to structure my time in the word and I have found this to be most helpful. I read my planned chapters for the day and write down three sentences (or more), by asking myself three questions:

a)What does this passage reveal about God? (ex. God....)
b) What do I learn about myself in relation to God? (ex. I....)
c) What do I resolve to do in response to God's revelation of himself in these verses?

2) Pray throughout the day. I like to pray for my church family during the day, so I generally reserve my morning prayer for other things. This also makes my morning prayer time less daunting. I like to pray through one page of our church directory each day. I can just pray for a particular family at any point, whether I'm washing dishes or doing laundry etc.

3) Walk and pray. When the weather is nice take advantage of it and get outside. I love to pray while I walk, I find it much easier to keep focused. This breaks up the day for the kids as well.

4) Memorize scripture. Pick a verse from your morning reading and write it on a cue card. Leave it in the room you spend the most time in. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I leave it above my sink.

5) MP3s and sermons. After the kids go to bed at night, I usually have my final tidy of the house to do...put things away, get ready for the next day and all that. I have found that this is a good opportunity to put my MP3 player on and listen to a sermon or even worship music.

6) Go to bed and be thankful. Thank God at the end of the day for his grace and mercies and also for the gift of sleep. C.J. Mahaney proposes that sleep in itself should be a reminder to us of our humble state. We are not God, we need sleep. So thank him and sleep.

Also Christian, don't get discouraged if you weren't able to wake early one morning (maybe your children were up in the night or something else disturbed your sleep). Wake up, acknowledge your need for God, thank him and start your day, in dependence on him and relying on his grace. The rest of the day is not a write-off. Redeem it, draw close to him in prayer and in meditation. Recognize your blessings and give him praise in all things. Reflect on the cross. Preach to your heart. Confess your sin. Steep yourself in the Saviour! May your mind and heart be constantly turned towards God.

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion