8. My spiritual activities include “spiritual disciplines” which are activities that I do because I know that they are good for me and my walk with God.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
How does the idea of doing spiritual disciplines sound to you? Is it heavy or burdensome? Is it inviting?
Dallas Willard often said, “Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning.” Does the idea of spiritual disciplines sound like effort or earning to you? What might be the difference?
In your relationships with others, your family or friends, what things do you do because you know they are “the right thing to do”?
How might “doing the right thing” in our relationships with others (our disciplines), make those relationships better?
How might “doing the right thing” in our relationship with God make that relationship better?
Our spiritual activities include three groups that can be defined by why we do them; one group, called practices, are activities we do because they bring joy to us. A second group are activities we choose because we know they are good for us, these are called “spiritual disciplines”. (The third group we will call “laws”, which are activities we choose because we believe Jesus asks us to.) One of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:23 is self-control.
It seems that human nature does not naturally self-regulate and that a certain amount of self-discipline is essential for our character development. The same is true in our spiritual lives. To be healthy, our spirituality requires discipline. Spiritual disciplines may not bring immediate pleasure or joy and may require us to experience some discomfort.
We engage in spiritual disciplines not because they make us feel good but because we know that they are good for us. We may understand some need or lack in our walk with God and accordingly choose an activity that addresses that need.
Spiritual disciplines are an essential part of our spiritual activities and in fact are the backbone, the framework for our spiritual wellbeing. Like all spiritual activities, spiritual disciplines are intended to help us connect with God. But with spiritual disciplines, there is an added dimension. Spiritual disciplines help shape and transform us so that we are more suited and able to connect with God. The goal is still to connect with God, but there is an intermediate step that includes the formation of our soul. The discipline itself does not transform us, rather it places us and prepares us for the Spirit to do the work of transformation. As this happens, our awareness of God increases and our relationship with Him grows.
Let’s look at a few examples. Fasting is one of the classic disciplines and is often thought of as somewhat extreme or only for the really spiritual people. Many people find that they have increased awareness of God while fasting, but the primary purpose of fasting is to train the body to be at peace when it doesn’t get what it wants. Psalm 131:2 is an example of this when David says “I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content” (NIV). The child may not enjoy the weaning process but once it has adjusted, its relationship with the mother is deepened and more mature. Similarly, as we become less anxious, more trusting and content like the Psalmist, we then are more available to God and relationship with Him. The discipline of fasting can help us become calm and quiet when we don’t get what we want.
Another spiritual discipline practiced by many is regular Bible reading. For some people, Bible reading may be a delight and require little or no discipline and for them it is a practice. But for many, a certain amount of discipline is required to regularly spend time with Scripture. The formation process included in this discipline may be that there is a need to learn how to connect with God in Scripture, to hear Him, and to know that He is speaking through the words of the text. This may take time but with persistence we may find ourselves connecting with God in this discipline.
There are many other things that could be said about using spiritual disciplines in our walk with God, so many that we will spend an entire topic on this later. Before concluding though, let’s examine some dangers of spiritual disciplines. One danger is when a spiritual discipline leads to pride. Whenever we make ourselves or our reputation the goal of the discipline, we know we are in danger. Another danger is over-working at disciplines, especially if our motivation is to please others, including God. When this happens, spiritual disciplines may become burdensome, a heavy task, and we may give up completely.
Spiritual disciplines do not earn God’s favor; that is something that we receive as a gift from Him. Spiritual disciplines are essential to our life with God but we must order and incorporate them into our spirituality with an approach that lets them join us to Jesus and experience a lightness about them. Jesus says, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30, NIV).