By REV. DR. JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

The beginning of a new year unfolds a wonderful opportunity to engage in self-examination. Mind you, it's a very spiritual thing to do. Very Biblical (for all you Bible thumpers). The great Apostle Paul admonished, “But let a man examine himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28) and as a result, that examined person would not have to be disciplined by the Lord (verse 31). Bottom line: if we take a strong look at ourselves and get our act in order, then God won't have such a big assignment in regard to us. Jesus used the analogy of the piece of lumber and the splinter to make the same point.

Jesus said it would be better to be concerned with the board in your own eye before trying to help a brother/sister take out the splinter that's in their eye. Self-examination is a good thing.

Now, with that as background, let me provoke you to look at your spiritual life. Do you have spiritual paralysis? Are you locked in to where you were spiritually five years ago? People who are physically paralyzed often times need help to get their joints moving again. Could it be that you need someone who will help stretch your spiritual boundaries beyond what they have been for years?

Let's take another tack: are you experiencing spiritual schizophrenia? You have multiple spiritual personalities. You can't decide if you want to be an Elijah calling down fire on the ungodly or be Barnabas simply encouraging the church. What about simply trying to line up your life in the shadow of Jesus Christ. W.W.J.D. What would Jesus do? How would Jesus do? Where would Jesus do?

Perhaps you've got a bad case of spiritual constipation. You've got a lot of good spiritual stuff inside, but without any outlet for service. Remember what James counseled: faith without works is dead. You need to get a outward flow from your life. Jesus said “rivers of living water” are to come out of our innermost being. Believers with spiritual constipation can often be described as being so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.

But what I find is that far too many church members experience spiritual lethargy. Their get up and go for the Lord Jesus Christ has got up and gone. They need spiritual Geritol. And as I remember, Geritol was mostly spirits. The church doesn't need spirits, but the Spirit.

Too many church members have taken years-long siesta and need the tonic of the Holy Spirit. Maybe before much longer you need to find where he's pouring himself and have a drink!

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community Church in Fayetteville.

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