I’ve written before on the spiritual disciplines and have been challenged by them in practice. Tullian Tchividjian has an excerpt from his new book Jesus + Nothing = Everything and he has given me not only more to think about but even far more to implement. What Is True Spirituality? is a vigorous call to radical spirituality. Is true spirituality merely inward growth, outward focus on service to others, or both? He writes:
To be sure, personal disciplines are indispensable aspects of staying tethered to the truth of gospel (you’ll shrink without them), empowering and nurturing love for God and others. But it’s interesting that when James makes his strong point in 2:14-26 about faith without works being dead, what he describes are not works of subjective “spirituality” but selfless service:
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? (James 2:15)
Read it all.