I don’t like going to the doctor. When the time rolls around for my regular physical, or when the dentist sends a notification that I need a checkup, I tend not to respond right away. I’d rather avoid an evaluation that’s almost certain to reveal a problem—or something I need to change.

As Douglas Sweeney observes, some of us might have the same reaction to a spiritual wellness exam. He asks us to consider if we’ve made important strides in our knowledge of the Lord and his Word in the last few years. It’s a question we might rather avoid, one that reveals a real problem. Yet the solution Sweeney suggests—his prescription for better discipleship—is simple: we need to bring our Bible.

“There are many ways to get to know the Lord, of course, and to imitate his life. . . . But the most reliable way to grasp what he teaches and to live a Christlike life is to study what he says in the pages of the Bible.”

This may sound cliché, simply too easy. And Sweeney acknowledges that it’s no magic pill. Yet pursuing God in his Word remains essential, much like a healthy diet. If you ignore good nutrition, there’s only so much other supplements can give.