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Written by Rich Villodas, a contemporary pastor and writer. This is an excerpt from his book “The Narrow Path.”

Jesus is never about adjusting behavior alone. He cares about who we are becoming, not just what we do. He rejects a spirituality that doesn’t transform our hearts. To adjust our behavior—even in positive directions—without interior examination will enslave us. Said differently, we can do all the right things but never examine why or how we should do them. I know what it’s like to help others not out of deep concern but to avoid their displeasure. I’m familiar with speaking truth not because I’m compelled by God to do so but because I’m afraid of being rejected by people I respect. I’ve been an expert at saying yes to all kinds of invitations not because I fell led by God but because I’ll be seen in a positive light. The broad path is content with believing the “right” things and doing the “right” stuff, assuming that’s all Jesus wants. But a deeper look into our motivations is necessary for cultivating life with God…Slowing down—looking within—is difficult. Jesus, however, calls us to search our own hearts..He doesn’t let us live on the surface. He calls us deeper. Behavior modification without interior examination eventually leads to spiritual desolation.   

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. [Proverbs 21:2]

Written by Chris Webb, a contemporary priest, author, and speaker.  This is an excerpt from his book “God Soaked Life.”

Brother Lawrence spoke about the “practice of the presence of God” as an intentional activity, a habit we can learn and cultivate, rather than an inherent inclination or personality trait. It’s tempting to talk as though some people in this world are more “spiritual” and “reflective” while others are “practical” and “down to earth”; the business of tuning in to God’s presence then, becomes the preserve of the religious and introspective types. But it’s simply not true; in my experience it’s no easier or hard for any given person to develop attentiveness to the presence of God. Those who are most aware of God’s presence in their day-to-day lives are usually those who’ve troubled to train themselves in being aware.

 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. [John 8:47]

Written by Thomas Kelly (1893-1941), an American Quaker educator and author.

Have you ever seen a miracle?  I have. Have you ever seen the water of ordinary human nature changed into the wine of divine creative living?  I have. Have you ever seen men and women whose outer world was repellent, or tragic, or barren, or hopeless, yet who walked serene, triumphant, radiant, released, undismayed, living constructively, as iff they were already in Eternity and drew not their encouragement from time?  I have. We all have. Such persons have meat to eat that the world knows not of. Their secret life is not outside of them or around them, it is within them. In a rocky land, they hae a well of water springing up within them unto Eternal Life. Are you such a miracle of radiant eternity lived in the midst of time? Am I such a miracle? Are we people whose lives cannot be explained by our environment, but only by saying, The Eternal Life and Love are breaking through into time, at these points?

The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is! ‘ or ‘There it is! ‘ For, in fact, the Kingdom of God is among you. [Luke 17:21]

Written by John Fisher (1469-1535), a bishop, educator, and martyr.

Most loving Father, you command me to love you with all my heart and soul, mind and strength. But I am sure that I do not do so. I know this by reflecting on how I loved others: I loved them to the point of rartely forgetting them. They were constantly present to my memory, my heart dwelt on them almost all the time, and their image ran through my head in their presence as well as in their absence. O loving Father, I regret to say that I do not act this way toward you. I do not keep you in my memory, nor do I have you present in my thoughts, nor is my heart sufficiently occupied with you. As soon as the merest trifle enters my head, I drop you and lose sight of you. As soon as the slightest whim enters my heart, I discard you and quickly forget you..So with all the fervor of my being I ask you to grant me your Holy Spirit who will deliver me from this weakness of mine. Your Holy Spirit will enable me to love you with all my heart and soul, mind and strength, for he is the origin of all true love. Amen.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [Deuteronomy 6:5-7]

Written by Jonathan Bailey, a contemporary author and co-founder of the Dwell Bible app.

Before any of Israel’s great stories of faith and formation were put on paper, they were spoken and heard in the form of narratives, parables, and sayings. Theirs was a listening life. We’ve lost that I think. Those moments where we hear God’s word read over us, where the words ring out in the sky or around the sanctuary or through the miniature speakers aimed at our eardrums. This listening life, a life committed to soaking in Scripture, is what we ought to recover.  The spiritual practice of Scripture listening is not just significant because our Christian ancestors did it, it’s significant because Scripture listening forms us in ways that Scripture reading can’t… When we read, our default tendency is to study, we want to pull the text apart and piece it back together, draw conclusions, make decisions, we put the text to work. We’re seeking comprehension… When we listen, we have to leave all that behind. We lose our ability to be precise, there’s no underlining, cross-referencing, consulting commentaries, starring, or highlighting. Listening is more leisurely. When we listen, our default tendency is to marinate. Instead of reading the words, we steep in them. When we listen we’re gaining apprehension. That means we’re laying hold of something, or better said, something is laying hold of us. We’re seized, captured, engaged, and engrossed. It’s similar to what happens to us when we listen to music. We get lost, we’re caught up in it. Scripture listening seeks to put our hearts in a position to simply soak in the Word. In essence, when we listen to Scripture, we’re not trying to get something out of it, we’re trying to get into it. To inhabit it, and ultimately to be inhabited by it.

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [Deuteronomy 6:4]

Written by Justin Whitmel Earley, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from his book “Habits of the Household.”

Said, perhaps, with a hand on your child’s face or head:

Parent: Do you see my eyes?

Child: Yes

Parent: Can you see that I see your eyes?

Child: Yes

Parent: Do you know that I love you?

Child: Yes

Parent: Do you know that I love you no matter what bad things you do?

Child: Yes

Parent: Who else loves you like that?

Child: God does.

Parent: Even more than me?

Child: Yes

Parent: Rest in that love.

This blessing may not always go smoothly at first.  But with habit, these words of God’s unconditional love for us set a pattern for spiritual formation.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. [Proverbs 22:6].

Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus

We need to be careful to keep our eyes on our Master. He is unfolding His purposes and plans, and has invited us to join Him in what He is doing. The world system, other people’s demands, and our own longings can derail us if we do not consciously seek His perspective on life. This is where spending time in God’s Word makes such a difference, shaping and renewing our leadership perspective. Meditating on God’s Word brings an eternal perspective as we join God in what He is doing in the world.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. [Psalm 119:18-19]

Written by Thomas Tarrants, a contemporary minister, writer, mentor, and consultant.

God’s purpose for our life has two major aspects: (1) His purpose in the world to come and (2) His purpose in the present world. These are intricately intertwined, and it is important to approach our need for guidance in the present world, which seem so urgent, in the context of God’s larger purposes. Once we situate ourselves in this framework, we can more readily discern and embrace God’s purposes in the unique circumstances of our lives. Let’s begin by reminding ourselves that the God of the Bible is a God of purpose. And not just general purposes but specific ones. He is the supreme, long-term strategic planner of the universe. He does nothing in a random or haphazard manner. And His purposes extend from eternity past to eternity future, encompassing not only the ultimate destiny of His creation, but our personal lives, as well… The transformation process that shapes and prepares us for the world to come takes place in the midst of our daily lives and is multifaceted. This involves every area of personal and moral life. It also includes family, work, and ministry. Yes, God has a place of service in His kingdom for each of His children, whether they are at the top of society or the bottom or somewhere between; whether educated or illiterate. Every life is a plan of God… If we truly want to do God’s will and fulfill His plans in our lives, and if we ask Him, He will lead and empower us to do so, for He knows our hearts.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [Ephesians 1:3–6].

Written by Anthony O’Neal, a contemporary writer. This is an excerpt from his book “Take Your Seat at the Table.”

I don’t want to sit at a table made by people. I don’t want a life that is planned by people and powered by people — especially when I am one of those people! Instead, I want to sit at the table God built for me. I want my life to be filled with divine purpose and spiritual power. For that to happen, I have to stop trying to make everything happen in my own strength… your life was given to you by God for a spiritual purpose. Therefore, you will waste everything you’ve been given if you fail to fill your table with spiritual power. Where do you get that power? The Holy Spirit, for starters…You can invite the Holy Spirit to be part of your table. In fact, you must invite the Spirit to be part of your table! I recommend you invite Him every day. Ask Him to inform your decisions and guide your steps. Believe the truth that He is present with you and will empower you to achieve your purpose.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. [John 15:5]

Written by Ann Voskamp, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Sacred Prayer.”

When you are yearning to have a relationship with God, your sacred work is to still long enough to pay attention and locate your soul — so you can know where you are in relation to God. The holy work of being human is to keep paying attention to the location of our own souls: location, location, location. And then attention, attention, attention — to what is happening within our own souls. What we pay attention to is how we spend our lives. Pay attention mostly to the news — and we can end up spending our one life on headlines. Pay attention mostly to screens — and we can spend most of our days in a digital haze. Pay attention mostly to the negative — and we spend the only life we have on the very things that we wish weren’t. As it turns out — we gain more of whatever we pay attention to. Pay attention to love — and you are given more love. Pay attention to the good and the beautiful — and you spend your soul on what is good and beautiful. Pay attention to sunrises and laughter; pay attention to smiles and patches of light on the floor; pay attention to God in the everyday moments. So the question is: What do you really want more of? Attend to God — this is the best way to tend to your own soul.

If you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. [Proverbs 2:1–5]