What comes to mind when you hear the word discipline?
If you’re like most people, you probably think of sacrifice and sweat, self-denial, doing things you’d rather not do for the endgame prize. Exercising to reduce stress or improve your health. Giving up chocolate chip cookies so you can fit into your jeans. Saving money to buy that dream house or go on vacation. Studying to learn something new. Working hard for a promotion. Even if you don’t think of yourself as disciplined, chances are you have disciplined yourself to regularly practice certain behaviors for the anticipated results - brushing your teeth, going to work on time, not saying everything that comes into your mind, paying your bills, buying groceries, etc..
Like many people, I have something of a love-hate relationship with discipline. Love the benefits, but not always the process. True to my Gallup StrengthFinder results, I am highly responsible. Yet, other parts of my personality long for flexibility, variety, spontaneous fun, and a break from what can sometimes seem like a life mostly characterized by responsibility and productivity. So, for me, to buy into adding the continued discipline of something, to make it part of the fiber of my everyday life, I have to be absolutely sold on the benefits. Of all the disciplines I’ve attempted, I’ve found none to yield more beautiful benefits than those that are spiritual.
THE WORTHY GOAL
The apostle Paul captured why spiritual disciplines are beautiful and essential when he said,
“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come”
(1 Timothy 4:7b-8, NASB).
God’s goal for us is that we become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). While He ultimately brings about that change, “the God-given path to that purpose is through certain activities found in Scripture known as the Spiritual Disciplines.”1 These disciplines help us to better know and understand God, to please and personally experience Him, and to grow in becoming more like Christ and in reflecting His image. That is a worthy goal!
So, what exactly are the spiritual disciplines?
OUR ESSENTIAL DISCIPLINES
As Donald Whitney states in his masterful and practical book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, “The Spiritual Disciplines are those practices found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth among believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of God since biblical times.” As a church family here at Council Road, we have committed to grow in godliness (Christlikeness). As such, we are entering into a sermon series of what we have adopted as eight spiritual (i.e. biblical) disciplines that are essential to helping us to grow in godliness: worship, Bible study, community, witness, service, prayer, stewardship, and fasting. In support of this focus, our Women’s Ministry blog will also focus on these disciplines the next four weeks.
As you join us, remember not to focus just on doing the disciplines, but as the means to more deeply and intimately know, experience, and reflect God. Doing the discipline is not the ultimate goal; growing in godliness is. That is the true beauty of spiritual disciplines.
1 Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014), 6.
Meet the Author!
Bible teacher, author, inspirational speaker, and disciple-maker, Vickey Banks is passionate about helping women connect the dots between God’s Word and their everyday lives. She loves serving as Women’s Ministry Director at Council Road and as a Lifeway Women’s Ministry Trainer, pursuing a Master of Biblical Studies at Moody Theological Seminary, celebrating her people, and getting lost in a good story.