How Spiritual Disciplines Can Become Spiritual Graces
Re-thinking spiritual disciplines
As many students and teachers get back to school, it’s a prime time to return to or develop good routines. This month at Living Story, I’ll share some encouragement and tools for spiritual disciplines, looking at the means God uses to grow us as Christians. Be sure to subscribe if you want to receive all of the posts in your inbox.
I confess, as a young Christian back in the 70’s, I got the wrong impression about what we often called our “spiritual life.” For example, I thought things like having good quiet times (whatever that meant) or memorizing Bible verses would make me a better Christian and more acceptable to God. Thank goodness for the great gospel news that God loves us because he loves us, not because we are “spiritual giants,” which I definitely was not.
The good news/bad news of spiritual disciplines
The good news is that I learned that my so-called spiritual labors did not save me. Thankfully, that work was done by Jesus on the Cross.
The bad news is that somehow I, along with many other people got the idea that being saved by grace alone meant we didn’t need to be diligent about reading our Bibles.
I used to think being saved by grace alone meant it didn’t matter if I didn’t read my Bible very often. #spiritualgrowth Click To TweetWhy we need spiritual disciplines:
At the office, the school, the playing field, and of course, on the internet, our culture bombards us with stories about who we are and what we should be. These stories tell us how to spend our money and our time. They often make us feel that we don’t measure up. Then, after we’re beaten down, they teach us how to regain our lost self-esteem.
In the midst of these mixed messages, we desperately need to know the one True Story Scripture tells. This Story reminds us:
- A glorious God created us in his image, so we have incalculable value.
- This same glorious God loves his people and pursued us to make us his own.
- Christ came and died to set us free from our sins. (Gal. 5:1).
Knowing God’s story will help us when neighbors think we’re odd for going to church on Sunday mornings, or when co-workers think we prioritize our family over our work (we do!). We will remember that we do live differently because we are citizens of heaven, not citizens of this earth (Phil. 3:20).
Spiritual disciplines: our means of living God’s story of grace
Spiritual disciplines, like Bible reading and memorization, prayer, and attending church, among others, matter deeply to our calling to worship and enjoy God forever! Next week we will continue this series by looking at practical suggestions for developing and refining practices for immersing ourselves in The Story — the Bible!
A PRAYER ABOUT SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
Holy God, forgive us for the ways we have misunderstood and abused your grace, mercy, and love. Help us to enjoy the good gifts you have given us to grow more and more like Jesus. We want to be like him; please help us to root ourselves in good soil. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen