In my lent reading from Saint Francis of the Assisi, I was struck by the contemporary relevancy of the following quote:

"It is a great shame, to many of us who are known as servants of God, that while the apostles and early saints actually walked with Him through every kind of trial, we think we are deserving of heavenly glory and honor merely because we know their deeds from Scripture and can easily recount all that they said and did."

The Admonitions: 6

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22

David Hazard's Rekindling the Inner Fire 40 Day Devotional Series is very thoughtful series. The link points to the St Francis book, look for others by Hazard.