The last year has been an interesting journey. Looking back, I would not have predicted the path where I would be led, or where I would end up. But God has a way of getting you where you need to be.

Part of the journey has revolved around spiritual disciplines, or as Donald Whitney describes it, “spiritually placing ourselves in the path of God’s grace and seeking Him.”

He also said that “Christians are called to make themselves do what they would not naturally do (practice spiritual disciplines) in order to experience what God desires them to be (like Christ).

1 Timothy 4:7b (NASB)
7 discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness

So, this is not something that comes naturally to any of us. It only appears as a desire when we fully embrace the love of Christ and what He has done for us. But we do have a way of getting it wrong as we pursue it. First of all, we forget that spiritual disciplines are a means to a goal (to be like Christ, to grow in godliness). We forget that they are activities, not attitudes. When we make them an end in themselves, we make them into idols. We can, in fact practice disciplines without being godly. I guess that is Satan’s way of undermining God’s perfect plan.

Have you known anyone that gets involved in a lot of church activities, but doesn’t read their Bible, or doesn’t spend time in prayer? Many people treat the disciplines in scripture as a smorgasbord from which to pick and choose. They often do this because they are so involved in one that they tell themselves that they have no time for any of the others.

I had to back away from some areas of service last year because I began feeling that I needed to address some of the other disciplines. The goal of godliness can’t be achieved if you only address one or two of them.

So, I continue to pray that God would give me the proper balance to work on all of the spiritual disciplines. I pray that through all of this He will “discipline me for the purpose of godliness”.

Always praying for the glory of God,