Holly Pivec

View Original

10 Questions to Ask for 2015

questions imageI read this great article "10 Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year or on Your Birthday," written by Dr. Don Whitney, founder of the Center for Biblical Spirituality. I always like to take some time, at the start of a new year, to reflect on the past year and think about what I'd like to prioritize in the year ahead.Whitney urges Christians to give thought to the direction of their lives just as the prophet Haggai urged God's people to "consider their ways" in light of their relationship with him (Haggai 1:5). You might be able to guess some of the questions that appear on his list, such as "In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it? Other questions took me by surprise and challenged me in a good way, such as "What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?" Another soul-searching question is "What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?"In addition to his list of 10, Whitney suggests 21 more questions to ponder, including "What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it? I like this question because many Christians do not have any depth of understanding of important Christian doctrines--such as the atonement, the Trinity, and the dual nature of Christ--and thus are susceptible to falling for unbiblical teachings. And even those who feel like they already have a good grasp of these doctrines can always learn more. You can never exhaust the knowledge of God. If you doubt this, try tackling Dogmatic Theology by William Shedd. Now that's a New Year's resolution that's not for the faint of heart! But please don't start here if you are new to studying theology. Try Introducing Christian Doctrine by Millard J. Erickson.(Support my blog. Use the links provided above to purchase these books at Amazon and I will receive a small percentage of the cost.)