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Key Bible Verse: The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful (2 Peter 1:8). Bonus Reading:2 Peter 1:3-9

A sophomore assigned to me as his adviser wanted to switch to his roommate's math professor. "The one I have now gives tests every week and sometimes pop quizzes too," he complained. "But my roommate's prof only gives a final exam!"

It turned out that his schedule couldn't be changed, so he had to tough it out with the tests and quizzes each week. When grades came out, he'd scored well above his roommate.

"You must have studied hard," I suggested.

"You bet I did," he said with a grin. "All those exams kept me on my toes!"

Just as a student needs a periodic quiz to keep him focused, a growing Christian periodically needs to reflect on the condition of his heart to learn what's keeping him from close communion with God and to expose those sins to the healing bath of God's mercy. Simply ponder carefully questions prompted by a Scripture passage, such as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Sermon on the Mount (), the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23), the "love chapter" (), or qualities to seek "in increasing measure" (2 Peter 1:5-9).

—Paul Thigpen in Discipleship Journal

My Response: To keep spiritually focused next week, I'll …

Thought to Apply: We must allow the Word of God to confront us … and overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.

—John Stott (British pastor)

Adapted fromDiscipleship Journal (7-8/02) by permission.

Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Thank you, holy God, for clearly revealing Your standards. Please enable me to align my life with them.

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