Solutions December 2019 | Page 43

2 . R e c o g n i ze c o n s e q u e n c e s . T h e
spiritual disciplines of reading and
memorizing the Bible will develop
this skill. A good starting point is the
book of Proverbs. Read one chapter a
day for a month. Each day, select and
memorize a verse that addresses a
potential deficit in your character.
3. Get over yourself. The best spiritual
discipline for this life skill is service—
doing something for another who
cannot pay you back. A second skill
is active listening. You could google a
number of simple exercises to practice
active listening. The Bible itself
advocates meditation on Scripture
(Psalm 1:2)—sitting quietly and
envisioning a passage’s implications
for your life.
5. Cultivate optimism. This can include
humor, positive thinking, joy, etc.
Two critical spiritual disciplines that
build optimism are worship and the
Sabbath. These often work in tandem.
Worship is showing honor to God,
especially through corporate singing,
communion, and preaching. Observing
the Sabbath is resting from work,
which rejuvenates our bodies, minds,
and spirits. Together they create space
for optimism to flourish.
Excerpted from Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide
to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year. Copyright © 2019 by
Mark E. Moore. Used by permission of WaterBrook, an
imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
4. Be accountable. Gritty people don’t
do life alone. They submit their dreams
and disciplines to others who can hold
them accountable, critiquing their
performance and celebrating their
successes. The circle you choose to
surround yourself with will determine
your success. We all need a circle
below us for service, a circle around us
for encouragement, and a circle above
us for mentoring—what the Bible calls
discipleship.
Mark Moore
Mark E. Moore is an acclaimed author and teaching
pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona.
He previously spent two decades as a New Testament
professor at Ozark Christian College. Whether by helping
people make sense of Christianity or teaching students to
understand the Bible, Mark’s life passion is to make Jesus
famous. Mark and his wife, Barbara, reside in Phoenix,
Arizona.
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