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How Self-Examination Can Save Your Life
Self-examination is the study of one’s habits, thoughts, and motivations. Most of us are too busy these days to stop and do some careful soul-searching. And why would we? The number of distractions luring us to far more immediately rewarding activities has never been higher. But if you are like me, you have a list of things you would like to accomplish, habits you would like to drop, and maybe some old losses you would like to resolve. Self-examination does not have to be so arduous. In fact, it can become a habit. The danger of foregoing this particular self-discipline is not dissimilar to the dangers faced by those with…
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How to Have Gratitude without Faking It
My ability to have gratitude has grown with my capacity to tell myself the truth. I used to think that offering the sacrifice of praise that the book of James recommends meant I had to pretend to be thankful for some really awful things. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we read In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. So occasionally I would wind up my thanksgiving machine and thank God for things for which to this day I am not thankful. What I have since learned about the sovereign hand of God and gratefulness is life-changing, but really could only come at with the…