Looking in the Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most spiritual of them all?

True Christianity permeates everything in life. A segregated spirituality encourages us to live a parallel life. On the one hand, reading the bible, praying occasionally, meeting with a group, doing devotions, and yet that same person participating in that activity, living a life which is essentially worldly, making worldly choices, acting with a worldly value system, doing immoral things, living in his business relationships in a way which dishonors God, living in his family relationships in a way which dishonors God. That kind of parallel life is characteristic of segregated spirituality.

True Christianity not only hears God’s word but does God’s word. Our obedience to the word of God, or response to the word of God, is a diagnostic of our spiritual condition. The test of whether you believe God's word is whether you obey it, especially when it runs counter to your desires. That's when you know whether you are a hearer and a doer of God's word. And true Christianity not only hears the word of God, but it does the word of God.

True Christianity involves bother personal piety and public morality. Oh, we’re happy to have non Christians sitting in a pew. It gives us an opportunity to show our hearts and to press our claims with our friends. But what a tragedy it is when there is someone sitting in a pew that's a non Christian who thinks he's a Christian. He's immune from the gospel.

http://www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/James/02ajames.htm

The above is from J. Ligon Duncan III

As a Christian I do struggle with living the Spiritual life.

James 1: 19-21 (Williams)
You must understand this, my dearly loved brothers. Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to get angry; for a man’s anger does not produce the uprightness that God requires. So strip yourselves of everything impure and all the evils prevailing around you, and in humble spirit welcome the message which when rooted in your hearts is able to save your souls.

Spiritual life is not the work of a moment; it's the work of a lifetime. Duncan

Eutychus