Spiritual Discplines

What is Spiritual Discipline? Name Class 3/24/2018Donald S. Whitley puts a great emphasis on meditation, memorization, and prayer as key aspects of good Christian discipline. He defines discipline in his first chapter in contrast to drudgery. Drudgery is work that one is required to do but not motivated to do; work that they don’t enjoy doing. Discipline is doing good work and enjoying it. While I do not memorize, meditate, and pray every day, they are things I can improve in. I never put much effort into memorization because I never thought of it as necessary. Sometimes verses I have read do pop up in my mind and I do meditate on them, but it’s not a consistent habit that I set aside time for every day. I do pray from time to time, at least once a week, but I can see why people might refrain from it. A lot of people aren’t sure what to pray for or whether they will receive what they ask for.Meditation seems to be an especially important aspect of discipline. For example, let’s think about Matthew 22:37-38: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment”. There are many ways to answer what this means, but we know love requires effort and not laziness.

Anyone who knows anything about relationships knows that they require effort or at least some level of commitment. If we are indifferent or turn our backs on God, we don’t know the consequences. However, if we love God, then we value the relationship. When that happens, we are able to live by what we believe. BibliographyWhitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. NavPress, 2014.