Key Bible Verse: You must warn each other every day … so that none of you will be deceived by sin (Hebrews 3:13). Bonus Reading: 1 Peter 4:1-5, 17-18

We must resolve firmly and specifically how we're going to flesh out our commitments in daily life. It isn't enough for a busy man to say, "I'll have a regular devotional life." He needs to say something like, "I'll have my devotions before I leave for work and, therefore, I will get up at 6:00 a.m. on every weekday."

It may not be enough for a salesperson to say, "I'll remain honest." He may need to say, "I won't tell a lie to sell any item, even if I lose my job for not making enough sales."

Let's make clear-cut decisions about those areas in our lives where we are tempted to compromise, and communicate them to the appropriate people without delay. Then, when we're tempted, it will be difficult for us to give in.

You may need to tell a Christian friend something like this: "I'm often tempted to tell lies in my job. I've decided that if even the smallest lie slips out of my mouth, I will immediately speak to those who heard it and retract it, however humiliating that may be. Because I need help in this area from you, I'll report regularly about how I've been faring with my tongue."

—Ajith Fernando in Spiritual Living in a Secular World

My Response: What vague desire will I recast as a concrete commitment?

Thought to Apply: If you can win complete mastery over self, you will easily master all else.—Thomas à Kempis

Adapted from Spiritual Living in a Secular World (Monarch, 2002) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me connect honestly with other men, men who share my desire to take being Your disciple to a new level.

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