Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:00 — 4.1MB)
D-6972
If someone asked you to name the spiritual disciplines, what would you say? Listen to what Paul told young Timothy:
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
Spiritual disciplines are the things we need to do to “train ourselves to be godly.” From the earliest years of the Church, the great heroes of our faith have taught and practiced spiritual disciplines. And that is still very much true today.
The Bible is our instruction manual. And our challenge is not only to read the Word, or to study it, or to go to seminars and learn about it, but to put it into practice through spiritual disciplines. Jesus said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17).
I’m finally coming to understand that my body is most often fighting against being disciplined, and therefore I have to actually train my body to be in subjection to my will, and my will is in subjection to the will of God for my life. Just as physical training is necessary to good stewardship of our bodies, training for godliness is necessary for spiritual maturity.
Spiritual disciplines are not ends in themselves. We don’t practice these disciplines in order to get credit with God. We don’t do it in order to make ourselves feel like we’re really good Christians. We certainly don’t do it to look good to others. In fact, most spiritual disciplines are done privately. They are a means to an end, and not an end in themselves.
