Shaun Groves
Before Richard Foster wrote Celebration of Discipline in 1978, words like “meditation” and “simplicity” and “solitude” were relegated to the strange vocabularies of cloistered mystics and monks. Foster freed them, brought them to mainstream evangelical America.
Of course, “spiritual disciplines” have strong biblical foundations and have been practiced by saints for two thousand years. But the disciplines were slowly forgotten by most non-Catholic followers of Christ as the rational modern scientific world around us seeped into our thoughts and choked out these ancient good habits. Too often the hussle of my own modern life has given me this sort of amnesia too. Here’s what I’d be better off remembering about spiritual disciplines.
For The Purpose Of Godliness
Practicing the spiritual disciplines places our emotions, volition, and intellect on the wheel for the Potter to mold – to mold us into the image of Christ. Paul told Timothy “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7).” He said to “sow to the spirit” (Galatians 6:7-9 ) and “pursue holiness” (Hebrews 12:14). Holiness and godliness are gifts from God we cannot earn but practicing the disciplines makes us receptive to these gifts somehow.
For The Purpose Of Intimacy
The disciplines help us tune into God’s voice a bit better, and allow us to talk back as He nudges. The sheep learn the Shepherd’s voice by listening to it (John 10:27) and learn to “abide” in Him or stay dependent on Him because otherwise they can do nothing (John 15). The disciplines maintain our intimate dialogue with God.
I haven’t consistently practiced the disciplines over the years – but I’ve consistently returned to them. When I stop their practice I eventually find yesterday’s want to’s have become today’s should do’s. I love my wife because I promised to. I write songs because it pays the bills (in theory). I read the Bible because it’s my job to teach it. All of life becomes action without power, love or passion. So I return to the disciplines – back to the basic tools of “sowing to the spirit” and maintaining intimacy with God.
Here’s what practicing a few of the disciplines looks like on an average (good) day for me:
Solitude:
Before the kids wake up, I walk upstairs to my office, lock the door and sit by the window. I’ll need about an hour alone.
Pray:
I shoot straight with God, tell Him I’m tired and that while part of me wants to spend time getting to know Him better, part of me also wants to sleep or check e-mail or eat. I ask Him to help me focus and wake up. I ask Him to guide me as I try to get to know Him better, to speak to me, to help me hear Him.
Read:
I open the Bible and read one chapter, expecting God to speak to me. This week I’ve been in Galatians. So, on Monday I read Galatians chapter one. I read it slowly and out loud. I read it again. One line stuck out to me: Verse 4 says “…[Jesus] gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…”
Meditate:
I may do one of a number of things to meditate at this point – or all of them. The goal isn’t to clear my mind and get in touch with my inner self as in Eastern religious meditation. The goal is to fill my mind with truth and get in touch with its Author.
I may put myself into the verse: Jesus gave himself for my sins to rescue me from the present evil age, according to the will of God my Father.
I may amplify the verse: Jesus gave, gifted, donated, surrendered, laid down himself for my sins to rescue, release, free, liberate me from the present evil age, according to the will, the wishes, the plan, the desires of God my Father.
I may pray the verse: Jesus, thank you for giving yourself for my sins. Thank you for rescuing me, not just from death someday but from evil right now. God, show me the evil in my own thoughts and heart. [I spent some time confessing and thanking God for His forgiveness.] What do you want to rescue me from today? [I listened and prayed to be rescued from everything that came to my mind. I prayed through the day’s worries and struggles I knew were coming.]
Listen/Pray:
Then I ask God to still my mind, to shut me up and allow me to listen. I tell Him I’m open to convictions, inspirations, visions, prayer requests, to anything He wants to speak. I imagine my mind is a silent theatre with a blank screen. Then I’m still and quiet, but not relaxed. I’m attentive and on the edge of my proverbial seat listening intently – watching the screen for any sign of God.
One day recently, I saw a dark skinned girl in my mind’s eye, South American maybe, about eleven years old wearing a red shirt. She was under short green trees, maybe in an orchard and she was smiling with her lips together. I don’t know who she is or if I ever will but I prayed for her the best I could knowing nothing about her. Another day recently, an artist came to mind and I immediately felt intensely envious and angry toward them and I asked God to change that in my heart, to make me grateful for my life and theirs and then I prayed for that artist’s success.
Often God is silent – or I’m not that good at listening. So I pray through my family and friends and about any concerns I have and then thank God for every good thing that comes to mind.
Without Ceasing
With practice this process loses its beginning and end. If I’m in a habit of practicing these disciplines, they run under my whole day no matter what I’m doing. All day, long after I’ve unlocked that door and walked downstairs, I’m being gently urged to pray for this person or that, confessing this sin, releasing that worry, thanking God for that sight or smell, asking Him to comfort that stranger on the shuttle bus. And this destroys the artificial barriers between sacred and secular, work and worship, solitude and community, prayer and thought, meditation and the rest of life.
There’s no requirement in scripture to follow anyone’s particular prescribed method here – this isn’t law, it’s relationship. But Richard Foster’s writing is a good guide to start with, offering biblical foundations for each of the disciplines and more practical advice on how mere mortals can begin practicing them. If you’re of more of a Calvinist bent, check out Donald S. Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life – less mystical and more rational and systematic but an equally excellent introduction to the disciplines just the same.
For what it’s worth: This works for me. And when I drift out of these practices nothing seems to work at all.
Shayne says:
Thank you for explaining that. I tend to over-analyze EVERYTHING I do and your simple run-through of your routine helped me know at least when I do practice these disciplines…I’m on the right track.
Now to just practice them faithfully….
Barbara says:
Foster’s works have been a great help to me over the years. And for me it comes down to remembering that “doing the disciplines” does not earn for me God’s grace, but that the doing of them is the vehicle God often uses to administer that grace to me. Unfortunately, labels like “legalistic” start flying around when you talk about being consistent (or striving to be consistent!) in the disciplines, when really all it should be is just that I’m striving to consistently spend time with the Lord who loves me. This post was a great, practical reminder. Thanks.
Cheri says:
Thank you always for sharing your insight and thoughts. Many days they are helpful and can be encouraging words for a weary soul who needs to remind myself of all of the great blessings I have received. I enjoyed your presence at Lifest and was hoping to thank you for your inspiration in person but was busy working at the Compassion tables and our paths didn’t cross but I was praying for your words to touch many hearts. I really enjoyed your post today of your process. It is so true that when the process becomes really a part of you it has no beginning or end. I start to miss it when I let life and busy take over and I must learn to return to spending the quiet time with God. Funny thing is Galatians was calling me too this week! Praying for you and the work you do.
Rebekah says:
Love this book Shaun! It really changed my spiritual walk when I read through it a few years ago. It’s amazing how the simplest things can drastically improve your relationship with Christ.
Larry Boatright says:
Wow Shaun… Excellent and I needed that. Why I read was better than any sermon on the disciplines. The simplicity and practicality is so helpful, but most of all I appreciate your transparency. Beautiful!
Orual says:
I have always been fascinated by the spiritual disciplines, probably because I am so lacking in natural discipline and because I grew up in a church that considered any kind of ritual or rite “Catholic” and therefore not something “real Christians” should do. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve been drawn so much more to silence, to solitude, to meditation, to prayer as a way to refocus my ever-more-scattered brain.
beth says:
Shaun-
I read your post this morning. An hour later, a 14-year old friend of my son’s (a young musician) sat down at my kitchen table to ask how he could grow closer to God, stay focused on reading the Bible and pray. He wants to grow spiritually.
I could have referred him to Foster’s book, but at 14 it might be a bit overwhelming. How cool it was to say, “Let me show you something…” I walked through your post with him. I played him some of your music, too, proving that you are legit :-). He’s going home with a printed copy of this post to help fuel his passion for Christ.
Your ministry matters. Thanks for sharing this.
I would like to repost this – and link to it from my blog. I think it can help a lot of people who might be, at this point, too intimidated to dig into the book.
be blessed…
Josh says:
awesome… and this is why some of us blog, isn’t it?
Sooooo much better than stats. Thanks for sharing. Your comment ministers as well.
Sarah says:
Funny. Every time I hear or read or think the word “discipline” (especially as it pertains to my faith), I cringe.
But when I read this:
“All day, long after I’ve unlocked that door and walked downstairs, I’m being gently urged to pray for this person or that, confessing this sin, releasing that worry, thanking God for that sight or smell, asking Him to comfort that stranger on the shuttle bus.”
I realized…this happens for me, too. Maybe discipline isn’t so bad.
Scott says:
This was so needed. Thanks for your ministry of writing, Shawn. These words keep hitting me over the head everytime I re-read this:
” When I stop their practice I eventually find yesterday’s want to’s have become today’s should do’s. I love my wife because I promised to. I write songs because it pays the bills (in theory). I read the Bible because it’s my job to teach it. All of life becomes action without power, love or passion. “
Kelli says:
Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been struggling with discipline lately – feeling bored and directionless. This has challenged and encouraged me.
Carole Turner says:
good stuff. Thanks.
Nellie Dee says:
Love your stuff as always. Nothing like “this is how we do it” rather than “you should do……”
Petra says:
So glad I found this. Discipline has a human heart after all!
FzxGkJssFrk says:
I want to think of these disciplines the way I think about the discipline of practicing music – because when you discipline yourself to practice, rehearse, develop your skills, it eventually results in tremendously greater joy in the experience of performing music. I don’t think I’ve ever come to the spiritual disciplines that way, and I wonder whether that’s one of the reasons they haven’t always stuck.
But I agree – when I’m not doing that stuff, nothing works.
Shannon says:
Thank you so much for sharing this! I just started reading Celebration of Discipline with two friends. Thanks for showing us what the disciplines look like in your life.