Abundant Life: Spiritual Disciplines

Our annual spring series exploring the vibrant, purpose-filled life God has called us to here and now

By The Bookery

This spring, we’ve been meditating on 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.” While those words point to eternal life that only Jesus can give, they also point toward a vibrant life with purpose in the here and now.

So, what does abundant life actually look like in our everyday lives? We’ll be exploring that question in a variety of ways over the next few weeks, but today, we’re taking a look at spiritual disciplines.

Spiritual disciplines aren’t a checklist of steps to take to be holier or a better person. They don’t improve our standing before God (only Jesus’ righteousness makes it possible for us to stand before a holy God) and they don’t make us any more or less acceptable to Jesus. But just like an athlete who trains consistently or anyone who wants to learn or deepen a skill, we return again and again to the disciplines or fundamentals that train and prepare our hearts to seek him.

You can scour the Bible, but you won’t find a comprehensive list of spiritual disciplines. Some, like prayer are noted, but other practices are tools that believers throughout the ages have turned to as methods to help focus their mind, heart and intentions on Jesus. We’re simply taking a look at a few disciplines today. You can read more about other disciplines here.

Generosity

Think about the character of God. If you were writing a list of his characteristics, probably somewhere along the way, you’d write generous. Over and over throughout Scripture (and in our own lives), we can see instances of God’s generosity. He is a God who gives over and above what we need or deserve, and Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf to bring us back into right relationship with the Father is a primary example. So, as Christ followers, our lives should also be characterized by a generous spirit. That includes generously giving of our money, but also our time, our talents and our skills. We should carefully steward the resources he has entrusted us with so that we can actively practice generosity on a regular basis, not just when the opportunity to give presents itself.

Ask yourself:

• Do I think like a steward or an owner?

• How might I need to let the Holy Spirit reorient my focus toward money, time and talents so I can give generously and regularly?

• What are some ways I can choose to be generous on a regular basis? How can I plan ahead to exercise this discipline?

Silence

We live in a loud world, and we often fill it with even more noise—podcasts, 24/7 news cycle, Twitter, influencers, celebrities and more. We can also fill our lives with good things (sermon podcasts, godly authors and friends, etc.) and never give God the time or space to speak into our lives. Choosing to regularly set aside all the noise that distracts and the voices that demand your attention to focus solely on God is a practice we all need. It might be as simple as not listening to a podcast while walking or turning off the radio when you’re alone in the car line.

Ask yourself:

• When was the last time I sat silently before God, not asking him for anything?

• Are there any spaces in my life where I intentionally set aside “noise” to focus on God? Why or why not?

• Where in my schedule can I turn off the noise and focus my heart and mind on God to allow his Holy Spirit to work in my life?

Service

It’s easy to think of spiritual disciplines as personal activities you do for your own benefit and your own relationship with God. But while there is a personal aspect to our faith, Scripture calls us to grow in our relationship with God within the community of the local church. We are called to live in faith as a family of believers—and our faith cannot be self-serving. It must involve serving others. So what might that look like in your everyday life?

Ask yourself:

• Who are the people in need God has placed in your life and your path? What means has he provided you to meet their need?

• When I’m out running errands, on my way to work, grabbing lunch with friends, how aware am I of others, their needs or desires? How can I take the focus off of myself to truly see and serve others rather than focusing on myself?

• How well do I listen to others? Am I always turning the conversation back to the things that matter most to me and ignoring others’ needs or desires?

• What are the opportunities to serve in my church or with my church in my community? How can I be actively and regularly involved in serving others?

Please remember, spiritual disciplines aren’t about adding more activities to your to-do list. The goal of spiritual disciplines aren’t to do more but rather to be more—to become more like Jesus and to simply be with him.