The more we obey Jesus’ commands to serve others, the more joy it will bring into our lives…. A “discipline” is something we do regularly. So don’t wait until you’re in trouble to pray. Do it every day….God gives us these “spiritual disciplines” for our joy and gladness in him. Start small. Build habits.
Search for “spiritual disciplines” and you will come up with lists ranging from a few practices to many.
I’m not sure where the phrase “spiritual discipline” originated. The Greek word in the New Testament usually translated “discipline” is paideia, which is used for “the rearing of a child, training, discipline” (Strong’s Greek), and as far as I know does not apply to what we call “spiritual disciplines.”
When Christians speak of “spiritual disciplines” they usually mean regular practices that benefit our lives and produce fruit. Much like the discipline of daily exercise or reading will produce benefits in our lives. The Bible has no comprehensive list of “spiritual disciplines” we should practice, but it does give us commands to do certain things on a regular basis. And when we do, they produce fruit in our lives.
But before you read these and feel overwhelmed, the key is to start small, and try to make them habits. It would be better for you to read the Bible 5 minutes a day or several days a week, than to read it once a month for an hour. Key word: habit.
Spiritual Discipline #1: Meditate on God’s Word
God’s Word is the foundation of our lives. In the Scriptures God reveals himself and his will for us. If we want to know and enjoy God, the place to begin is God’s word. Apart from the Bible, we can’t know what God is like. We can see some aspects of God in nature and the creation, but we would never look at an oak tree or a butterfly and know that God is holy, sovereign or loving. We could never know what Jesus did to redeem us by hiking through the Grand Canyon. We absolutely need God’s word, the only source of absolute, unchanging spiritual Truth. Here’s what Scripture says about itself:
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts (Jer. 15.16).
To “eat” God’s words means we take them in; we hear God’s words or read them. And when we do this consistently and meditate on them God’s words become a joy and the delight of our hearts.
Psalm 1 tells us there are 2 forces that will shape our thinking: either the world or God’s Word:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night. (Ps 1:1-2).
We can either follow the counsel of the world or the counsel of the Word. Psalm 1 tells us that we should make God’s word our delight and meditate on it consistently – day and night.
So the first spiritual discipline we should seek to incorporate into our lives is regular meditation on Scripture.
To “meditate” on God’s word means to ponder it, dwell on it, chew on it and roll it over in our minds in order to apply it to our lives. Two ways we can do this are to read or listen to God’s word and memorize it.
When I first became a Christian I heard someone teach that we should make our first priority each day (if possible) to spend some time in God’s word. Not legalistically but because we love it and it blesses us. It’s like eating meals every day. I don’t eat breakfast because I have to. I like food and it gives me strength. If I don’t eat breakfast some days I don’t feel guilty about it (and obviously there is lunch and dinner). But a regular healthy breakfast is good for you.
Nothing is better for us than to spend some time in God’s word every day – even if it’s only a short time.
Remember, it’s better to read the Bible 5 minutes a day than once a month for an hour.
Some think it’s too hard to memorize God’s word. Here’s a simple way to get started: Write one Scripture on a 3×5 card and read it 2 or 3 times every morning (or whatever time of day is best for you) as the first part of your time with the Lord. Do this every day. Next week or 2 weeks later, add a second verse to another 3×5 card. Read each card 2 or 3 times. There are lots of other ways to memorize scripture, but we can save that for another post.
Main point: take in God’s word, in whatever way is best for you.
Some prefer to listen to God’s word. Some read it with pen in hand, underlining, jotting notes in the margins. Some read study Bibles and look up every reference. But take God’s word in, and think about it.
Discipline #2: Give thanks
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thes 5.18).
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 5.20).
We can thank God in all circumstances because he is sovereign over all things, he is infinitely wise and infinitely loving. He is in control of all things, nothing can happen unless he allows it, and in his infinite love and wisdom, he causes all things to work together for our good, as it says in Romans:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom 8.28).
We don’t have to thank God for pain or tragedy or sadness, but we can thank him that even in the midst of horrible things he loves us and will somehow work all things for our good. But even when God blesses us, or when life is going fine, we can so easily forget to thank God for our blessings. So a good spiritual discipline is to thank God every day. I try to spend some time giving thanks before I start asking God for things. It’s not a legalistic thing, I can pray first if I want to, but I think of Psalm 100:4:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
One way I try to “enter his gates with thanksgiving,” is after spending some time meditating on God’s word, I usually try to write one page of things I’m thankful for in a Moleskine journal.
I start with something like, “O Lord God, thank you for…” and I begin to write. It’s not usually anything deep. It might be as simple as “Thank you for the sunshine,” or “Thank you that I got to spend some time with my granddaughter yesterday,” or “Thank you for another day of life.” Or I might thank the Lord for spiritual blessings, like, “Thank you for saving me,” or “Thank you for paying for all my sins on the cross,” or “Thank you for giving me eternal life.” I don’t write for anyone else to read or worry about being profound, I just want to give thanks.
Spiritual Discipline #3: Prayer
Spiritual Discipline #4: Giving
Spiritual Discipline #5: Serving
Spiritual Discipline #6: Fasting
