SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE
CHRISTIAN LIFE (2ND ED.)
by Donald S. Whitney
A
Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance by Benjamin Montoya
About the Author
Don Whitney has been
Professor of Biblical spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, since 2005. Before that, he held a
similar position (the first such position in the six
Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Kansas City, MO, for 10 years. He is the founder and president of The Center
for Biblical Spirituality. Don is a frequent speaker in churches, retreats, and
conferences in the U.S. and abroad.
Introduction
We have probably heard of the
spiritual disciplines, but could we list all of them from Scripture? In this
book, Whitney explains them from Scripture, provides practical advice for how
to put them into practice, and asks his readers to consider several application
questions. If we want to grow in godliness, it will happen as we practice these
disciplines, not apart from them.
In This Book, You Will Learn:
- What the spiritual disciplines are
- How to practice them
- Why practicing them is so important
The Larger Contribution of This Book:
Everyone needs this book in
their library. Yes, we all say that the spiritual disciplines are important,
but carrying them out is not always as easy as we would like. Books like these
are common; but, good books on this topic are harder to find.
Whitney’s book remains thoroughly biblical while also being incredibly
practical and accessible. Similarly, one can tell that Whitney speaks from his
own experience as he has learned to practice these disciplines.
Table of Contents of the Book
Foreword
Chapter 1 The Spiritual Disciplines … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 2 Bible Intake (Part 1) … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 3 Bible Intake (Part 2) … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 4 Prayer … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 5 Worship … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 6 Evangelism … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 7 Serving … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 8 Stewardship … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 9 Fasting … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 10 Silence and Solitude … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 11 Journaling … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 12 Learning … for the Purpose of Godliness
Chapter 13 Perseverance in the Disciplines … for the Purpose of Godliness
Summary of the Book
Chapter 1: The Spiritual Disciplines … for
the Purpose of Godliness
When we think of the word
“discipline,” none of us likely say, “Ah, now that’s what I want.” No,
we typically dislike discipline—we think of it only in terms of its negative
connotations. But, when it comes to spiritual disciplines, we should avoid such
thoughts. Spiritual disciplines serve an important role in our lives.
Spiritual disciplines serve
as the means that God uses to help us become more like Christ. Paul writes,
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son” (Romans 8: 29). That is, God wants us to become like Christ. He uses
means to make us more like Christ. Those means are the spiritual disciplines.
That is why Paul tells Timothy, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of
godliness” (1 Tim 4:7). What, then, are the spiritual disciplines?
First, the Bible describes
them as both personal and interpersonal. There are some we do
on our own and others we do with people. Second, they are activities,
not attitudes. Third, they should be limited to what is biblical,
that is, in the Bible. The Bible lists several: Bible intake, prayer, worship,
evangelism, service, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling,
and learning. Fourth, spiritual disciplines are sufficient for knowing
and experiencing God and, thus, growing in Christlikeness. Fifth, although they
are derived from the gospel, they are not divorced from it.
They should make us dig deeper into the gospel. Sixth, the disciples are means,
not ends. They are means to a much greater end of godliness, that is,
of becoming more like. But, God has to work the desire in us to want to do
these things in the first place (Phil 2:12–13). We, however, should not neglect
them.
There is danger in neglecting
them, the primary danger being missing God in our lives. These are the means
God uses to work in our lives. But, there is also real spiritual freedom in
embracing the spiritual disciplines. We experience the freedom of things like
“spiritual lethargy” when we practice the spiritual disciplines. Maintaining
these disciplines creates spiritual freedoms we would not otherwise have. If we
make good use of them, then we can “enjoy God ad the things of God through the
spiritual disciplines.”
Chapter 2: Bible Intake (Part 1) … for
the Purpose of Godliness
Bible intake is the most
important spiritual discipline of them all. We know God most fully in His
written Word. We know the gospel in the Bible. In essence, if we want to know
God and grow in godliness, it must be through intaking His Word. Bible intake,
has several parts.
First, it involves hearing
His Word. We can hear it read and preached in the local church. Second, it
includes reading God’s Word. One of the hardest parts about reading
God’s Word is making time for it; we need to pray and plan for the discipline
to do this. Also, selecting a good Bible reading plan will help us become
successful. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Also, when we read God’s Word,
we should spend time meditating on a word, phrase, or verse. God can use that
to work in our lives as we go about our day. Third, Bible intake means studying
God’s Word. Studying involves digging deeper into what we have read. There
are plenty of examples of people studying God’s Word in the Bible. It forces us
to slow down to make sure we understand what we are reading so we can share and
obey it.
This section on Bible intake
has several applications. First, if we measured our growth in godliness by the
quality of our Bible intake, what would the result be? Second, what is one
thing we can do to improve our intake of God’s Word? We have probably all felt
some measure of conviction after considering how we come short of what our
Bible intake should be. But, where can we start to make progress?
Picking just one area will help.
Chapter 3: Bible Intake (Part
2) … for the Purpose of Godliness
Another part of Bible intake
is memorizing Scripture. This part of Bible intake has many benefits. First, it
supplies spiritual power. The Holy Spirit can bring it to our
attention when we need it the most. Second, memorizing Scripture strengthens
our faith. Recall the words of Proverbs 22:17–19, “Incline your ear, and
hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will
be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even
to you.” Third, memorizing Scripture prepares us for witnessing and
counseling. Fourth, memorizing Scripture provides a means of God’s
guidance. Recall the words of the psalmist: “Your testimonies are my
delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119: 24). Fifth, memorizing Scripture stimulates
meditation. When it is stuck in our minds and our minds wander to it, we
can meditate in a way that we otherwise could not. Sixth, memorizing Scripture makes
our way prosperous. Consider Psalm 1:3, “He is like a tree planted by
streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not
wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” This person is the one who
dwells in God’s Word. The Bible gives us so many benefits and promises in the
OT and NT for memorizing God’s Word. Now, you may be reading this and think,
“If only I could memorize Scripture!”
You can. It begins with
having a plan; discipline works with a clear plan, but never without it.
Here are some tips. Writing out the verse helps. Drawing picture reminders help
carve the verse in our minds. Memorizing the verses word-perfectly still
matters; we need to memorize what it says, and nothing less. Having someone to
hold you accountable to memorize consistently can help provide positive peer
pressure to stay disciplined in this area. Reviewing and meditating daily will
be important to maintain your memory of the verses. Also, having a clear
method, or set of methods, can help.
There are many memory
methods; here are fifteen suggestions to help us.
- Try emphasizing different words in the text as
you memorize the verse: praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
praise the Lord.
- Rewrite the text in your own words; although
memorizing word-for-word is important, this method helps us paraphrase to
check for our understanding, not just rout-memory.
- Formulate a principle from the text to help
remember what the text means.
- Tie the verse to a memorable image.
- Look for applications of the text.
- Consider how the text points to the Law or the
gospel.
- See how the text connects to Jesus.
- Discover what problem or solution is solved by
the text.
- Pray through the text.
- Memorize the text.
- Create an artistic expression of the text.
- Ask the Philippians 4:8 questions of the text:
what is true? What is honorable?
- Ask Joseph Hall’s questions of the text: what
is it you are meditating on? What are its divisions or parts?
- Set and discover a minimum number of insights
from the text.
- Find a link between all the paragraphs or chapters
you read.
- Look for how the text connects to your current
issue or question.
- Make use of meditation mapping.
Chapter 4: Prayer … for the Purpose of
Godliness
The next spiritual discipline
to consider is prayer. First, prayer is expected of us. Recall that just before
Jesus gives His disciples the model prayer, He repeats, “When you pray…” That
is, He expects that His disciples will pray. Furthermore, just before He
provides the model prayer, He says, “Pray, then, like this” (Matt 6:9). Paul
also commands Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). In addition
to biblical teaching, people throughout Church History have emphasized the
importance of prayer. For example, Martin Luther said, “As it is the business
of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business
of Christians to pray.” This point is probably one that we all know. God
expects us to pray. Nevertheless, it is not easy to pray. We struggle with it;
we want to do it, because we find it difficult. How, then, can we
learn to pray?
Second, then, we need to learn
how to pray. One of the easiest and best ways to learn how to pray is to
pray through Scripture. That is, we use Scripture to pray. We use a verse to
pray through whatever it is that we want to pray for. As we meditate on it and
pray through it, our prayers are enriched. Another way to learn how to pray is
to do it consistently. If we never try, it is not going to happen. Also,
praying with others can provide the needed encouragement to pray. Furthermore,
reading good books on prayer can fuel our desire and knowledge of how to pray.
Third, God answers prayer.
Scripture teaches this point in several places including Matthew 7:7–8. We are
supposed to be persistent in prayer. Christ commands it of us. George
Müller also observed:
The great fault of the
children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying;
they do not persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should
pray until they get it. Oh, how good, and kind, and gracious, and condescending
is the One with Whom we have to do! He has given me, unworthy as I am,
immeasurably above all I had asked or thought!
To apply this chapter, we
should consider the following questions:
- Because God expects us to pray, will you pray?
- Since we need to learn how to pray, when will
we do it?
- Will we pray consistently since we know God
answers it?
Chapter 5: Worship … for the Purpose of
Godliness
“Worship” is a term that many
are familiar with but perhaps few could define it beyond saying something like,
“singing.” The Bible, however, gives us a much larger picture of what “worship”
means. First, worship is focusing on and responding to God. If we
recall John 20:28, Thomas bowed down and worshipped the risen Christ and said,
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas’s focus was not on singing; yet, the
Apostle John describes what Thomas did as worship. John did this because Thomas
was focused on and responding to God in the person of Jesus. “To worship God
means to ascribe the proper worth to God, to magnify His worthiness of praise,
or better, to approach and address God as He is worthy.”
Second, worship is done
in spirit and in truth. Jesus speaks to this matter in John 4:23–24, “But
the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship
him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and
truth.” Worshipping in spirit and in truth refers to several things. We must
have the Holy Spirit to worship God in the first place. As we seek to worship,
our worship must involve both head and heart. We should have
passion, but that should be fueled with the truth of God’s Word.
Overemphasizing or deemphasizing one or the other creates unacceptable worship.
Third, God expects us to
worship Him publically and privately. In Hebrews 10:25, Christians are
commanded not to neglect meeting together. “There’s an element of worship and
the Christian life that can never be experienced in private worship or by
watching worship. There are some graces and blessings that our Father gives
only when we ‘meet together’ with other believers as His family.” Yet, the
Bible also commands us to worship individually. We are supposed to grow closer
to Christ as we worship him privately on our own for the purpose of godliness.
Our private worship will also fuel our public worship. Our daily enjoyment of
who God is will flow over into our times of public worship.
Fourth, worship is a
discipline to be cultivated. Although the Bible commands us, we will never
do it unless we discipline ourselves to do so. We practice so many other
things so that we can make progress, and worship is no different. “To worship
God throughout a lifetime requires discipline. Without discipline, our worship
of God will be thin and inconsistent.”
Some questions for us to
consider are as follows:
- When will we commit ourselves to daily worship?
- When will we worship in spirit and in truth?
Chapter 6: Evangelism … for the Purpose of
Godliness
Many professing Christians
find evangelism to be exceedingly difficult. They become fearful at even the
thought of it. When it comes to evangelism as a spiritual discipline, how are
we to practice this? We need to begin by reminding ourselves that evangelism is
expected. Christ commands us to share the gospel with other people in
the great commission in Matthew 28:19–20. We can only make disciples after we
proclaim the gospel. But, Christ does not leave us there to complete this work
on our own.
Evangelism is also empowered.
In that same Great Commission, Christ promises that He will be with us until
the end of the age. From reading elsewhere in Scripture, we know that Christ is
referring to his presence via the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to
share the gospel. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit empowers the gospel message
itself. He uses it to transform people.
Evangelism is a spiritual
discipline for the purpose of godliness. It should be the natural
overflow of the Christian life. But, it requires discipline. If we will not
discipline ourselves to do it, we will simply never do it. Recall that
Colossians 4:5–6 tells us, “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best
use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so
that they may know how you are to answer each question.” This verse speaks to
evangelism. “Making the best use of our time” and “be[ing] careful about our
speech” both refer to evangelism.
We all need to consider the
following questions regarding evangelism.
- First, because evangelism is expected, will we
obey the Lord and share the gospel?
- Second, because evangelism is empowered by the
Holy Spirit will we believe that God can use our words in the salvation of
others?
- Third, because evangelism as a discipline will
we plan for it?
Chapter 7: Serving … for the Purpose of
Godliness
We are all called to serve in
and outside of the church. First, Christ expects Christians to serve. “When we
are born again and our sins forgiven, the blood of Christ cleanses our
conscience according to Hebrews 9:14, in order for us to serve the living God.”
This verse means that we are reborn to serve. At least six things
should motivate our service.
First, we should be motivated
by obedience. Second, we should be motivated by gratitude.
Third, we should be motivated by gladness. Fourth, we are to be
motivated by forgiveness, not guilt. Fifth, humility should
motivate us. Sixth, love should compel us to share the gospel. In
addition to having the proper motivation we should also remember that Christ
equips us for service. Every Christian is a gifted to serve. When God saves us,
He gives us spiritual gifts. The purpose of our spiritual gifts is to serve the
church. Paul reminds us that in Ephesians 4. The Holy Spirit equips the church
with gifted people for the sake of serving the church, not ourselves.
But, this does not mean that serving will always be easy.
Serving can be very
hard work. When we serve it is meant to remind us that we need the Holy Spirit
to work through us. Paul often described ministry in terms of agony. He
referred to it as toil, even. That means that ministry is true work. Now,
ministry can be very fulfilling and rewarding. But, that does not mean it will
not be difficult sometimes.
To apply this chapter, we
should ask ourselves the following question:
- Since we are expected and gifted to
serve, are we willing to serve? It will require a lot of us, but we need
to remember that that is why we are here.
Chapter 8: Stewardship … for the Purpose of
Godliness
Another spiritual discipline
is stewardship. When we think of “stewardship,” we likely only think of money.
Stewardship involves both time and money. Let’s consider each of these in more
detail.
God gives us only so much time
in our lives. Scripture speaks to making the most of our time. Thus, we should
make disciplined use of our time. First, we should use our time wisely “because
the days are evil.” Second, we should use our time wisely because our use of
time is preparation for eternity. Third, time is short. Fourth, time is
passing. Fifth, the remaining time that we have is uncertain. Sixth, time lost
cannot be regained. Seventh, we are accountable to God for our time. Eight,
time is so easily lost. Ninth, we will find that we value time even more so at
death. Tenth, time has value in eternity.
God also cares about how we
use our money; Scripture has a lot to say about our use of money. If you
recall, Paul in 1 Timothy 5:8 says that we should provide for our family well,
and if we do not, we have denied the faith—and are even worse than unbelievers.
How, then, can we use our money in a godly way?
First, we need to realize
that God owns everything that we think we own. Recall that Psalm 24:1 says,
“the earth is the Lord’s.” God owns literally everything. We are simply
stewards of creation. Second, giving is an act of worship. When we give the
money that we have a way we are worshiping God by doing so. Third, giving
reflects faith in God’s provision. When we realize that God owns everything and
has everything, we will feel more able to get away what we have because we know
that God will provide for us. Fourth, giving should be sacrificial and
generous. Paul commends the Corinthians because they gave sacrificially to the
people in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8:1–5. Fifth, giving reflects spiritual
trustworthiness. Sixth, we get out of love, not legalism.
Seventh, we should give willingly, thankfully, and cheerfully. Recall that God
tells us that we should consider how much He wants us to give and give
cheerfully because He loves a cheerful giver her, as Paul reminds us in 2
Corinthians 9:7. Eighth, giving is an appropriate response to real needs. The
early church shows this example Acts 4. Ninth, giving should be planned and systematic.
Notice that 1 Corinthian 16:1–2, Paul instructs giving to happen on the first
day of the week, that is, on Sunday. Thus, as we meet on the Lord’s Day, we
should be prepared to give. Eleventh, generous giving results in bountiful
blessings. Jesus explains in Luke 6:38, “give, and it will be given to you.
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into
your lap. With the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
There are a number of
application questions we can consider.
- First, are we prepared for the end of time?
- Second, are we using our time as God would have
us use it?
- Third, are we following God’s principles for
giving? Fourth, are we giving like we mean it?
Chapter 9: Fasting … for the Purpose of
Godliness
Let’s take a quick poll:
count up the number of people that you know that fast. I am guessing that you
can probably count them on one hand because it is likely that you know no one
who does it. Why is that? To as a more personal question, why do we avoid fasting?
Should we fast?
Fasting is perhaps one of the
most misunderstood spiritual disciplines. We should do it for the purpose of
godliness. But, before we get in to some of the techniques that we can use to
fast, we need to explain it further. Fasting is for believers in Christ. There
are people who do it as unbelievers for physical reasons. That is not
the kind of fasting that is described in this chapter.
The Bible describes a variety
of fasts. There are partial, public, conversational, and national fasts.
Fasting is always done by abstaining from food. God expects Christians to fast.
Recall that in Matthew 6:16–17, Jesus repeats the following phrase twice, “and
when you fast…” Nowhere does the Bible command Christians to fast. Some have
taken that to say that they do not need to fast. This interpretation, however,
encounters problems Because Jesus uses the same kind of language for giving and
for praying. Perhaps no one would question that Christians no longer need to do
those things—mentioned in the same context. Thus, Christians are indeed called
to fast.
Fasting should be done on
purpose, and that purpose is for godliness. A lot of the times when
people fast, they only think of their hungry stomachs. When we feel hunger
pains while fasting, we need to remember the purpose of our fast. Coming up
with a specific purpose related to godliness will help us with the hunger pains
of fasting. No, it will not make them go away; rather, it will give us a
reminder to pray and think carefully about why we are fasting. There are a
number of reasons why we could choose to fast.
First, we might want to
strengthen our prayers. Second, we may need to seek God’s guidance on something
specific in our lives. Third, we may wish to fast to express grief. Fourth,
fasting can be used for the purpose of seeking deliverance for God’s
protection. Fifth, fasting can express repentance and the return to God.
Throughout the Old Testament people used fasting for this purpose. For example,
after Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, they fasted for this reason.
Sixth, we can fast to humble ourselves before God. Seventh, fasting could be
used as a means of expressing concern for the work of God. Eight, we can fast
to minister to the needs of others. Ninth, fast and can be used overcome temptation
and to dedicate ourselves to God. Tenth, fasting can express love and worship
to God because we are saying that he means more to us than food.
It is much easier to talk and
read about fasting that it is to do it. But, if we are going to grow in God and
us then we need to learn how to fast. We should consider the following
application questions. Will we confess and repent of any fear of fasting? Will
we fast as the Holy Spirit directs us to? Will we plan a fast dedication now as
an expression of our willingness to fast from now on?
Chapter 10: Silence and Solitude … for
the Purpose of Godliness
To this point in the book,
most of the spiritual disciplines have probably been quite familiar. This
chapter, however, addresses a spiritual discipline that is perhaps uncommon.
Silence and solitude is a spiritual discipline that we should use for the
purpose of godliness. But, before we can ever hope to practice it, we need to
seek to understand it as it is taught in the Bible.
We should clear up any
potential misunderstanding before we consider the Scriptural teaching. Silence
and solitude are complementary to fellowship, not contradictory. We
often confuse socializing with fellowship. Socializing is important, but just
because we are socializing does not mean that we are actually fellowshipping as
the Bible calls us to. Biblical fellowship refers to talking about God and the
things of God. Thus, first we should consider silence and solitude as
complementary to fellowship, not a replacement for it. Second silence and
solitude are usually found together though we should keep in mind that they are
two different things. Third, we need to recognize that cultural conditions have
caused us to become comfortable with noise and crowds not with silence and
solitude.
There are several valuable
reasons for silence and solitude. First, Jesus gave us this same example. In
the Gospels, He got away to be silent and fast alone. For example, before He
was tempted by the devil in Matthew 4, that’s exactly what Jesus was doing.
Second, silence and solitude can help us to minimize distractions in prayer.
When we are not truly alone, it is too easy to become distracted by everything
that we have around us. Third, silence and solitude can help us express worship
to God in a way that being with others cannot. Fourth, silence and solitude can
help us seek the salvation of the Lord. Fifth, silence and solitude can help us
to be physically and spiritually restored. Sixth, they can also help us regain
a spiritual perspective. It is easy to get caught up in an unbalanced worldly
perspective, but silence and solitude can help us get away from that to
remember the things that really matter for eternity. Seventh, silence and
solitude can help us seek the will of God. Throughout Church History, men and
women have used silence and solitude to do just that. Eighth, silence and
solitude can help us learn how to control our tongues. Thus, we have many good
reasons why we should practice silence and solitude. But, how can we do it if
we have never done it?
Here are several suggestions
for practicing silence and solitude. First, schedule a minute-retreat. This
shorter retreat could happen shortly before meal to say a prayer. Plus, this
kind of retreat is more doable on a regular basis. It is short, clearly, but is
a start. Second, try to set a goal of a daily time of silence and solitude.
Various life stages and commitments will determine how much time we will be
able to have. But, whatever time we are able to devote to it to make a
difference for the purpose of godliness. Third, getting away for silence and
solitude can also help. This could happen perhaps a special place or some sort
of retreat center. Fourth, another way to practice silence and solitude would
be to schedule a trade-off daily responsibilities day with perhaps a friend or
spouse. This would involve trading off your daily responsibilities so that you
can get away to practice silence and solitude for the purpose of godliness.
To apply this chapter, there
are several questions that we should reflect on. First, will we seek daily
times of silence and solitude? Second, will we seek extended times of silence
and solitude? Third, will we start even now? Fourth, will we commit ourselves
practicing spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude? If we believe that
they are biblical then we have no choice but to do so.
Chapter 11: Journaling … for the Purpose of
Godliness
The next spiritual discipline
to consider is journaling. How can journaling be a spiritual discipline?
Journaling is a way that we can include an account of daily events, a record of
personal relationships, and a notebook of insights into Scripture or a list of
prayer requests. “A journal is one of the best places for charting your
progress and other spiritual disciplines and for holding yourself accountable
to your goals.”
When we look to the
Scriptures, we find that the practice is biblical. For example, when we look at
the Psalms, we have a record of David’s journaling. Look at Psalm 86:1. David
asked God, “Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me; for I am afflicted and
needy.” This is an example of David pouring his heart out to God in the form of
a journal. Yes, it is inspired Scripture, but it is still a journal entry of
King David.
Journaling is valuable.
First, it can help in understanding and evaluation. Second, it can help with
meditation. Journaling is a way that we can use to reflect further on Scripture
or an event in our life. Third, journaling can help express thoughts and
feelings to the Lord. Fifth, journaling can help us remember the Lord our
lives. Fifth, journaling can help in creating in preserving a spiritual
heritage. Six, it can also help in clarifying and articulating insights.
Seventh, it can help in monitoring goals and priorities. For example, Jonathan
Edwards wrote his resolutions in a journal. Other well-known Christians like
George Whitfield have used journaling to help keep themselves accountable.
There are many ways that we
can journal. First, there is the old pen-and-paper approach. Second, we can use
the ever-increasing developments of technology. We can use computers,
smartphones, and even tablets. To help yourself get started, it would probably
a good thing to start out by using a Bible verse to help guide your journaling to
reflect on the Bible verse.
There are many ways to apply
the content from this chapter. First, we will see fruitfulness from practicing
this discipline as we practice it, just as with any of the other disciplines.
Second, journaling requires persistence through dry times. We may feel
something like we have writer’s block, at times. But, persistence will pay off.
Third, journaling is something that has to be experienced before we can
understand its true value.
Chapter 12: Learning … for the Purpose of Godliness
The next spiritual discipline
is learning. Learning is a spiritual discipline that is commanded and several
different places. First, in Mark 12:30 Jesus commands us to love the Lord our
God with all of our mind. Second, the Great Commission commands disciples to learn
and obey everything that Jesus has taught. Thus, the spirit of
anti-intellectualism in some churches today has no place in the Christian life.
We cannot divorce love and learning because Jesus ties them together. Learning
is an essential part of the Christian life. We have to learn about the gospel
before we can ever hope to trust in Christ. Learning, then, is a necessity.
Learning is not something that happens by accident. It requires discipline.
There are many ways that we
can learn as a spiritual discipline. First, we can read books like the one you
are reading about right now. Second, we can have meaningful dialogue with other
Christians about spiritual matters. Third, we could take a course of some kind.
Whatever means we use, we should emphasize learning by reading. We learn the
Bible primarily by reading it. There are so many excellent books that we can
read to help us.
To apply this chapter, there
are several questions that we should ask ourselves.
- First when will we devote ourselves to be
coming intentional learners?
- Second, where we start?
- Third, when will we start? We also need to
remember that the goal of learning is not to make ourselves look smarter;
rather it is Christlikeness.
Chapter 13: Perseverance in the Disciplines …
for the Purpose of Godliness
The final spiritual
discipline to be considered in this book is perseverance. In the Christian
life, we are reminded of the need to persevere. The Bible commands us to
persevere in the faith in texts like Philippians 2:12–13. It tells us to work
out our own salvation with fear and trembling. The way that we do that is by
making use of the spiritual disciplines throughout our entire lives. But, we
are not working on our own. The Holy Spirit works in us. Recall that in v. 13, Paul
reminds us that God works in us both to will and to work according to His good
pleasure.
It might also be attempting
to read this book in such a way that we think that spiritual disciplines are
something that we can do all on her own. To be clear, no one should read this
book that way. The role of fellowship plays an important role in our spiritual
life because it is commanded in the Bible. In fact, if we forsake fellowship
with other Christians in the local church, the New Testament says that we are not
Christians at all. Thus, as we seek to grow in Christ likeness, we need to do
it in fellowship, not apart from it. We may find this point to be difficult
because we often experience more socializing then fellowshipping in the local
church. Nevertheless, we need to persevere to make fellowship a real part of
the local church we serve.
Struggles in our lives will
make it difficult to persevere in the Christian life. We will experience agony
in this life in various ways. But, we still need to continue to persevere as
Christians in the spiritual disciplines. We will experience struggles with the
world and with our flesh. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit, true fellowship, and
the recognition of the ongoing struggle in the Christian life will help us
persevere in the practice of the spiritual disciplines.
There are several ways to
apply this chapter and this entire book. But, there is one primary question to
close this summary with:
- Do we want to be godlier? If so it
will only happen through the practice of the spiritual disciplines that
require perseverance.
