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Spiritual Disciplines

Index to this series of features.

Introduction Jesus engaged in a number of what we identify as spiritual disciplines. By following Him in these activities, our inner life can be prepared for a deeper relationship with God.
Prayer Success in our prayer life is not measured by the degree to which we can get God to react to people and circumstances as we see them, but the degree to which we come to react to people and circumstances the way God sees them.
Fasting While Christians are generally interested in fasting as a topic, few are disposed to practice it. Here are some thoughts on the subject based on Scripture and personal experience.
Confession When we confess and abandon our sin we find mercy, but when we hide our sin, we are seldom motivated to repent of it. It seems to take some level of public knowledge to motivate us to repent.
Simplicity Simplicity refocusses us and heads us in the direction of learning that God is enough.
Solitude Solitude is a voluntary exercise which frees one from the obligations and influence of social relationships - things which nearly always distract us from our relationship with God.
Silence Finding a quiet place and then silencing our own inner voices allows us to experience the comfort and peace of God we would otherwise miss.
Study Along with prayer, Bible study tops most people's experience with spiritual discipline. Perhaps we should dare to ask ourselves if what we do is really "study" or if we stop somewhat short of making the effort implied by the word.
Meditation Meditation is as old as the Bible. God charged Joshua with these words at the beginning of his time of leadership: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night..."
Sacrifice Sacrifice differs from simplicity in that simplicity only touches the things we call “extras” or “luxuries.” Sacrifice digs deeper and calls us to share things we truly need and will have to do without unless God makes up the difference.
Generosity Generosity highlights liberality, freedom from stingy or miserly impulses, extending beyond the minimum to meet the immediate need and reaching into the realm of abundance, even excess.
Secrecy With the exception of surprise birthday parties and Christmas presents, usually people consider secrecy necessary only when something has gone wrong in some way. But secrecy can be a virtue.
Submission While submission is not valued and not discussed much in the broader culture, it is valued and does show up as a relatively common theme in the Bible. But the biblical concept of submission is more about the appropriate attitude than about hierarchy.
Service The real power of Jesus' teaching about service and leadership are not in the words themselves, but in the way He lived them out - giving his life as a ransom for many.
Fellowship Fellowhip provides opportunities to serve Christ as He is embodied in those around us and teaches us to overcome the world’s value of hyperindividualism.
Worship Worship is our appropriate response to God as Omnipotent Creator, King of the universe, and personal Lord and Saviour. What matters more than the outward expression of our worship is the inward condition of our heart.
Celebration Celebration proclaims our satisfaction with God. When we celebrate we acknowledge God's ultimate redemptive power. That's why we can celebrate even in the worst of circumstances.
Rest (Sabbath) Sabbath is not a reward for us getting all of our work done. Rather than chafing at restrictions which reduce our productivity, we can relax in our awareness that we trust God, not ourselves, to meet our needs.