Abundant Life: Spiritual Disciplines

As winter brightens into spring, it's easy to celebrate the beauty and joy of life. At The Bookery, we're pondering Jesus' words in John 10:10: “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” His words stress the eternal life that only He can give, but there's also a present aspect to that abundant, rich, satisfying life. In Christ, we are promised a forever future, but also a vibrant, richer life in the here and now.

That's what we're celebrating this spring. Over the next few weeks, we'll be examining "abundant life" from a variety of viewpoints, examining ways we can lean into that vibrant, richer life here and now. This week, we'll learn about a few spiritual disciplines—understanding that they aren't a checklist but invitations to spend time with God and grow in relationship—and think about what it might look like to practice them in our daily lives.

Note: There's no place in the Bible where you'll find a comprehensive list of spiritual disciplines. But from studying Scripture, we can begin to recognize practices that help to grow and develop your faith and cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ. These are not means of being a "better" Christian or works to be completed so that God likes or loves you more. They are simply tools.

Bible Study

Take a quick look at Ezra 7:8-10. If you, like Ezra, have determined in your heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it and teach it—then it means that you take the time to sit down and wrestle with the Word of God. Scripture is clearly a means through which God has and continues to reveal His character and His purposes. Through His Spirit, He uses the Bible to teach us, convict us and show us the deepness of His love and the wideness of His mercy. If we want to know Jesus, if we want to recognize God's character and His work in the world, we have to spend time reading and meditating on Scripture.

Fasting

Read over Matthew 6:16-18 and note how the passages begins. Most translations us "Whenever you fast" or "When you fast"—which clearly denotes that fasting is something we are invited to do. At The Bookery, we come from a variety of faith traditions, many where fasting is a prominent, common practice and others where it is not a commonplace. Whatever your background, fasting is an important spiritual discipline during which you abstain from food for the spiritual purpose of increasing intimacy with God. From Jesus' words in Matthew, fasting is clearly something we can become prideful about—look how dedicated I am!—which really misses the point. Rather than that, Jesus calls us to a practice that is part of a relationship (not a ritual) during which we can get rid of distractions to fully focus our hearts on God. In this Lenten seasoning, many of us are fasting from foods or activities we love and enjoy. Fasting is simply a way to acknowledge our deep need for and dependance on Jesus for a right relationship with God.

Fellowship

Glance at Acts 2:42-27 in your Bible. What were the members of the early church devoted to? Well, one of the things they spent their time and energy on was fellowship. Often, if you've grown up in the church—particularly in the South—we think of "church fellowship" as a meal. While it can be a place where fellowship happens, in reality, fellowship is a deep commitment to the body of believers. Fellowship is a practice of reorienting our lives around Christ as we live in community with other believers. We encourage; we build up the body; we live in a way that does not cause others to stray or become confused. We work to maintain unity and purity within body of believers. Fellowship is definitely centered on spending time with other believers—including the local body with whom you have committed to live out your faith—but it's also a practice of honoring, caring for and living your daily life in light of that fellowship.

Sabbath

Read over Genesis 2:1-3 as a reminder that the word "Sabbath" simply means rest, then read Hebrews 4:1-11. As with all spiritual disciplines, it's easy to make rules rather than practices—and that is definitely true about the Sabbath. Think about all the rules, past and present, people have created around the Sabbath, what you could or couldn't do. Rather than a checklist of behaviors, practicing Sabbath is a chance to remember that Jesus is your rest. It's a time to rest from all the activity and reflect on the fact that your salvation is not based on your works, but on what Jesus has already done. It is an invitation to rest in Him, to focus on Him and to admit that as a frail human, you need rest and you can't do everything through your own power.

Lament

Lent is a season of lament, but it's probably not a discipline many of us practice regularly, particularly in the American church. Lament is a prayer for help that comes out of pain, an expression of sorrow or mourning that calls out to God. In many ways, it is a turning to Him in our sorrow and acting on our belief that He is powerful enough to do something about or in and through our pain. Scripture itself is full of lament—including passages in Psalms, Lamentations, and even Jesus' lament on the cross (Why have you forsaken me?). For us, lament may stem from grief—the loss of a loved one, devastation over our own capacity to sin—and it may look like turning to God in our despair rather than to books, friends or wise counsel. That does not mean that those people or things cannot be helpful, but just that as our believers our primary Helper is God Himself.

Remembrance

Take a few minutes to read over Joshua 4 and Psalm 42. In each of these passages, God's people are called to active remembrance. As a spiritual discipline, remembrance is the act of taking the focus off yourself and instead, focusing on what God has done. It is choosing to reflect deeply on what God has done in your life—how He has stepped in, met you at your worst, lifted you up, answered prayer and displayed His character. In some ways, communion is an act of remembering—focusing on what Christ has done and reflecting on what it means for each of us while looking forward to what it means for us eternally. Practicing remembrance as a spiritual discipline may look like taking time periodically to reflect on what God is doing in your life and acknowledging answered prayers. Like the Israelites in Joshua 4, there may be physical reminders you can use to call to mind the powerful ways God has worked in your life throughout your journey of faith.

THE BOOKERY CHALLENGE: These are just a few of the many spiritual disciplines or practices that can help you grow in intimacy with God. This week, mull over these disciplines and others. Then, think about what it would look like to practice one (or all) of them in your life. But don't just stop there. Make a plan for how and when you will practice this discipline.