What do you think of the word, Discipline? I don’t mean discipline as in using discipline to punish a person for making a mistake. But I mean discipline as in training oneself to reach a certain improvement or goal. This past week, a friend told me he had been training hard for his very first triathlon in his life. But for the most of us, No, we don’t think very highly of the word. Discipline stirs up feelings of pushing and struggle. If I am right, the word says two things to us. One, we are not where we want to be, be it eating, exercise, finances, relationships or something else. Two, getting to where we want to be is going to require intentionality and training.
What about spiritual disciplines? Are there disciplines you think you would like, or you believe is necessary, for you to put into practice? If we are honest, we all do. Most Christians believe it is important to practice spiritual disciplines in our lives. One of the books my seminary required me to read was The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. He writes, “Every Christian must strive to arrive at beliefs about God that faithfully reflect the realities of their life and experience – so that each may know how to live effectively before Him in this world.” Spiritual disciplines help us move closer to a desired spiritual life. But the bad news is that it is going to require hard work. The desired spiritual life will not arrive on its own. In the same way the triathlon athlete will not expect himself to perform if he neglects his training, Christians will not expect to see results without intentional discipline.
Starting this Sunday, we enter into a new message series. In our time together, we will gather, and think and talk about spiritual disciplines. Here at LifeWay, there are seven spiritual disciplines. They are prayer, God’s Word, gathering, worship, giving, sharing and rest. Each Sunday, we will hear messages from a different speaker, and each will explain to us why each of the spiritual disciplines is important and how to do them better and better, plus some useful tips to help us along the way. Come, let’s worship together. Let’s encourage one another as we invite the Lord to encourage us.
Your Friend
Alvin