Leaning Into Spiritual Rhythms - Part 3

Spiritual Practices or Disciplines

In two previous articles, we looked at spiritual rhythms, their benefits, and how to develop them. I hope you are well into developing your own rhythms and are excited about how God will shape you through them. The next step is to look at ways to live out your spiritual rhythms. This is where spiritual practices or disciplines come in play. What is a spiritual practice of discipline?

Spiritual disciplines or practices are activities that we do in order to allow God time and space to work in our lives. They are ways that we open our lives and say to God, “Please come in and change me to be more like Jesus.” We do not do them to gain God’s favor. We do them to experience God’s presence, express our love for him, and give Holy Spirit permission and time to change us.

A question that one might ask is, “Who is responsible for me becoming more like Jesus? The Apostle Paul wrote…

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” - Philippians 2:12-13

How, simultaneously, can we continue to work out our salvation (since we did nothing to earn it) and allow God to work in us according to his purpose? Who is responsible for my spiritual formation? God or me?” The answer is both! Jerry Bridges, in his book Pursuit of Holiness, says…

“We are 100% responsible for the pursuit of holiness, but at the same time, we are 100% dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable us in that pursuit.”

We cannot empower ourselves to become more like Jesus. Only Holy Spirit can do that! We cannot change ourselves from the inside out. We cannot muster enough willpower and determination to become more like Jesus. We can try, but our self-effort is never enough. Only God can change us. What, then, is our role in becoming more like Jesus? We can do five things that allow God time and space to mold us into Christ’s image.

1.Abide (time)
We “abide in Christ” - spending time with Jesus.

2.Attend (listen)
We push out the distractions and expectantly listen.

3.Agree (confess)
When God speaks to us, we agree with what he says

4.Ask (pray)
We ask Holy Spirit to change us.

5.Allow (submit)
We allow Holy Spirit to change us.

We primarily accomplish the above through spiritual practices and disciplines. I have a book in my library entitled Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. It lists over seventy spiritual disciplines in seven categories. That is overwhelming! However, some primary disciplines prove to be the most effective in being formed in Christ. These are disciplines that Christians have used for centuries. But what is effective for you may not be so for me. And visa versa. I have found that the following nine are the most productive for me.

• Worship

• Sabbath

• Prayer

• Bible intake

• Solitude

• Reflection

• Community

• Generosity

• Service

There is a tenth well-known discipline often mentioned in God’s Word - fasting. I did not include it in the list above because this is my list, and I have found that God has not used fasting to significantly shape me spiritually. You are probably familiar with many of the above - but maybe not so much how to incorporate them in your life. I challenge you to learn more about each of the above practices and then find out which ones are most productive for Holy Spirit transforming you. An approach you might want to take is what I have my Spiritual Formation students do as a post-seminar assignment.

Choose two or three disciplines that you have never done or done sparingly. Practice that discipline for a month and then reflect on how God has shaped you through each of them.

Remember, above all, that the purpose of any spiritual practice or discipline is not just doing it. I can read the Bible for an hour each day, but if my reading does not make me more like Jesus, what good did it do? I may have a lot of Bible information, but no transformation into the likeness of Jesus.

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May God richly bless you as you lean into being formed into the likeness of Jesus!