Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline” written in 1977 popuylarised the idea of spiritual disciplines, practices to help Christians grow spiritually. His list, rooted in monastic ideas dating back to the early church included: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude and submission.
My personal take is that really those things are ways of creating time and space to talk to God and to hear God. Some people have likened them to a trellis that supports the growth of a plant and provides structure and order. Solitude, simplicity and fasting for example are ways of removing distractions so that we are able to focus on prayer and Scripture. Meanwhile, we are not meant to hear God individually and so submission enables us to pray and approach God’s Word together.
These things are not in themselves what causes growth with two exceptions from the list, prayer and studying God’s Word. They are the things that create space study and pray. However, to grow, it is primarily two things we need. We need to be fed and we need to exercise and train. When it comes to food and nourishment, it is Scripture itself that is likened to bread and the Holy Spirit who is likened to refreshing water for thirsty souls. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us:
“16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
So, Scripture gives us all that we need. It is sufficient. Not only is Scripture the source of nourishment but it equips us for training in righteousness or godliness. The idea of training suggests that there are things to put into practice. We aren’t just to enjoy learning scripture, we are meant to apply it into godly living. Again, mutual submission encourages accountability in this.
I’ve frequently noted that these verses are set in the context of Paul’s statement that:
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”[1]
This gives us a clue as to what spiritual discipline looks like. Elsewhere, God tells us not to “despise discipline” and points to the way a loving father will discipline their children.[2]
“7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons[3]
Romans 5:3-4 says:
“we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
In other words, we are disciplined by our circumstances as God uses suffering and persecution to grow hope in us. This is true individually and corporately.
Spiritual discipline means that we go to God’s Word to know how to respond to suffering and we learn to cry out in prayer to the Father in our trials. This is how we go grow more and more dependent upon Christ.
[1] 2 Timothy 3:12
[2] Hebrews 12:5-6.
[3] Hebrews 12:7-8.
Faithroots 