But God holds us individually responsible

Romans 6:13 Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. [See also: Romans 5:18, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Galatians 3:21, 1 Peter 1:23.]

Galatians 6:4-5 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Ever since I posted that photo of our Lenten roses with the comment about living a confessional lifestyle, not just a discipline for Lent, I’ve been wondering what I could offer that might be helpful to us (starting with me) in practicing this daily grace. Alice Fryling gave me an answer through her book Aging Faithfully, which Dave and I are reading for an upcoming mission retreat. Fryling quotes ideas she learned from Adele Calhoun in her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. (I love the interweaving that led to enrichment for me!)

I imagine you’ve heard of 16^th century Ignatius Loyola’s Daily Examen rooted in his concepts of consolation and desolation (we can talk about them another day). The Daily Examen has helped people through the centuries to walk more closely with God and it can’t be “improved,” even while it requires some training to practice. Fryling takes the basic idea and suggests we ask six simple questions each day, similar yet more specific than the practice may of us are familiar with of identifying our high point and low point in a given period of time. I added the Scripture references to Fryling’s questions:

• For what moments today am I most grateful? For what moment today am I least grateful (Colossians 3:15)?
• When did I give and receive the most love today? When did I give and receive the least love today (John 13:34)?
• Where was I aware of living out of the fruit of the Spirit? Where was there an absence of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)?

What do you think? Would you like to join me in responding to these questions daily through this short Easter season until Pentecost?

I think they will help us notice and be thankful for the new life God is growing in our lives.