Spiritual Disciplines for a Healthy Soul

Last week, we read in Hebrews 6:1, “Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.”  To help us go on to maturity, the Lord has provided us what are traditionally called “spiritual disciplines.” Providentially, this week also marks the beginning of Lent which is a time leading up to Easter in which many Christians will give up some hobby, vice, or whatever (officially) so they can spend that time with God. Traditionally, it is a time of fasting that has lost much of its meaning in our modern world. But, it is a season that is directly tied to the idea of maturing and growing in our faith.

Recently, I restarted my workout routine. My goal for physical health is slightly different than other people. I’m not too concerned about looks or winning any competitions. My goal is to avoid diabetes and being crippled in my old age. I actually met my new hero this week at the gym. There was a little lady who looked to be in her 80s running circles around all the younger people. But the absolute coolest thing she did was sit on one elevated bench, put her legs under the braces, and then leaned way back with her back about 3 foot above the floor. She stretched out her spine and then rose up. She did that several times, and as I watched I could feel my own back ache in horror. I told her it was an impressive feat, and she exclaimed it was her favorite thing to do at the gym and the only reason she goes!

And after many years of ministry, I have seen the products of different lifestyles, and I know the sedentary life is not a healthy one. It may be quite comfortable on the couch watching movies, but that comfort will turn to ruin in older age.

I have also seen the same pattern for spiritual walks. The healthiest Christians I know are the ones who put in the work ahead of time. I heard once a success coach say, “You can suffer the work now, or suffer the consequences later.” This maxim is so true for so many things in life. If our faith is to be strong and our walk with the Lord fruitful, we cannot neglect the disciplines of the faith.

But the opposite of this saying is true, too. When we do put in the work, we can reap a harvest of joy. Whether talking about our physical health, financial well-being, or our spiritual walk, when we put in the work ahead of time, we are able to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

The Reason for Discipline

Sometimes Christians can fall into one of two extremes when it comes to spiritual discipline—either legalistic oppression or libertine foolishness. In either extreme, the Christian falls victim to a form of sin and loses the freedom they have in Christ. For the legalist, they become enslaved to the guilt of past sin. They believe they must continue to atone for their sin, despite the fact Christ has already paid the price. For the libertine, they become enslaved to their feelings or desires. They quit following the disciplines in favor of some temporary pleasure or temporary problem. But true freedom is being able to continue our walk with the Lord without guilt and without our desires controlling our day. Instead,

The disciplines help us grow closer to the Lord and become the person we are designed by the Lord to be.

Meeting With God | Prayer, Scripture Intake, Fasting

In the midst of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes a fascinating statement that is loaded with meaning.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 6:22-24

This statement immediately follows instructions on prayer and fasting. The instruction on prayer includes the famous Lord’s Prayer that many of you memorized in childhood. The instruction on fasting begins with “when you fast” which reminds us fasting isn’t really an optional task for the super-spiritual. It is supposed to be part of our walk with God. But both of these disciplines are summarized here with the metaphor of the eye. Whatever we fix our eyes on, that will determine where the rest of the body heads.

But both prayer and fasting, we are told, are to be done in secret. They aren’t about getting attention from others. In fact, this passage we just read reminds us the point of these three disciplines is to focus our attention on God and away from ourselves.

Pray, Study, and Fasting are disciplines to focus our attention on the Lord and His will for our lives.

As we pray, we pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our eyes are to focus on the will of God.

As we fast, we restrain the desires of this world in order to tune our heart’s desire to God’s desire—for us and for our fellow humans.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites’ rebellion was characterized by their rituals without true worship—without tuning their hearts to God’s. In Isaiah 58, Isaiah chastises the people for their outward fasts but fail to live out the Law. True fasting will “loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the straps of the yoke, let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke.” It leads us to share food with the hungry, house the poor, and cover the naked.

Zechariah asks the Israelites if they actually fasted for God or for themselves. He reminds them of their rebelliousness in chapter 7 saying,

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Zechariah 7:8-10

Prayer is a mental exercise, fasting is a physical exercise, but both are tools to draw our attention toward what God calls us. And that is the point of spiritual disciplines—drawing closer to God.

Likewise, I call Bible Study “Scripture Intake” because the idea is to let the Word of God permeate your heart, mind, and soul so that you know, believe, and obey the Word. Paul instructs Timothy,

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

One of my favorite memory verses summarizes the point of these disciplines best.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Psalm 119:11 NIV

Obedience flows from a heart that is in tune with God’s heart.

Working with God | Evangelism, Ministry, Teaching

Connected to obedience to God’s Word are the disciplines that deal with joining in God’s mission for this world. We are called to join with God as He seeks and saves the lost. Sometimes a student will ask me something to the effect of why God chooses to use flawed humans to seek out the lost. Why doesn’t He just do something miraculous to announce His presence. Well, first, He did do something miraculous. He took on flesh and lived among us. He then died on the cross for our sins and rose again. That’s pretty miraculous!

Second, part of the reason why God uses us as His hands and feet in this world is because we were made in His Image, and we were always meant to be the physical representatives of God in this world. That’s what ‘made in His image’ entails.

Being made in God’s image includes living our lives with the same ethic and character of God.

And so, we consider these three disciplines, we could also describe them as “living out the image of God mandate from Genesis 1.” Paul describes doing good in this world this way to the Ephesians.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

The word for ‘workmanship’ is literally ‘something made.’ We have been made by God to do good in this world. Consider the Creation narrative and our place in it. Everything in this world has a specific function and part of the ecosystem. Remove any one thing, and the whole system is disrupted—possibly catastrophically. But if we remove humans, what happens? Nature takes over and life goes on. Our role is an administrative and creative role. God provided the raw materials for us to create new and wonderful things, bringing life to life.

Sin brought death instead. Christ came to abolish sin and restore us to life-giving images of God. As we evangelize, we help others become life-giving images, as well. As we minister, we fulfill our role of doing good and rolling back the effects of sin and death. And we teach so that others can go even further than we could by ourselves.

Evangelism, Ministry, Teaching are about helping others find salvation and living the life God has called them to live.

Our salvation is never just for us. Consider the Great Commandment the Lord gave to Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy 6.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Immediately following the command to love the Lord Your God with your heart, soul, and might, God tells us to “teach [these commands] diligently to your children.” No matter your role in the church, skillset, or personality, there are people around you that will benefit from your willingness to share what God has shown you.

Resting with God | Sleep, Sabbath, and Retreating

While the previous disciplines have to do with our labor for the Lord, the last set have to do with living in the rhythms of Creation God set at the foundation of time. We were never meant to ‘run the rat race’ this world impresses on us. While we are certainly not meant for laziness, we also are not designed to be workaholics. Psalm 127 reminds us our labor is in vain if the Lord is not in it.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalm 127:1-2

Part of getting rest is simply because God designed our bodies to require a reset each day. Another part is to remind us that we are ultimately in the hands of God. Each morning we wake up, we are reminded the Lord keeps watch over us as we sleep, and He is our life-giver.

But even more than simple sleep, God ordained a series of Sabbath Rests for Israel. And while our Christian calendar may look a bit different thanks to the new covenant in Christ, we still have holy days that are meant to bless us. When Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees about his disciples not following the Sabbath customs, he said:

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:23-28

The weekly Sabbath, as well as the high holy days, are for the benefit of humanity. They are not supposed to be legal tests of faith. They echo the seasons in Creation. They remind us of the harvest schedule and encourage us during the times of the year when it appears our labor may be in vain. For those who continue in agriculture, each spring is the promise for new life and productivity. Each summer is a time for hard labor in the fields. Each fall’s harvest reminds us that labor is not in vain. And each winter is an opportunity to rest from the year’s labor. And, if you are on a more industrial schedule of the year, the work may look different from season to season, but the rhythm still exists. You just may take a summer vacation rather than a winter.

And the Church’s holidays remind us the promises of our Lord and the substance of our faith. Each Christmas we are reminded of the Incarnation and promise of Jesus’ return. Each Easter we are reminded of the price for our salvation and the hope we have in, not just Jesus’ resurrection, but our own resurrection. Because Jesus lives, we too can live again having eternal life.

The Sabbath and Christian holidays are designed to remind us of the blessings of God throughout the year.

They were never meant to be a curse or tool for oppression. Unfortunately, today many Christians have fallen into the same Pharisaical trap when it comes to holidays. Every Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and even the secular holidays like Thanksgiving and Labor Day, my Facebook feed is bombarded with well-meaning Christians telling everyone to “avoid pagan holidays”.

The short version of my response is Colossians 2:16-17.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17

I understand and can respect the desire to avoid all things pagan. Our faith and service is to the One True God alone. But I also know these holidays are an opportunity for us, as God’s people, to demonstrate the Redemption and Restoration that is in Christ Jesus.

Christmas is not about a jolly fat man, the solstice, or some European demigod—not that it ever was. It is about the Incarnation of the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost and break the chains of darkness.

Easter is not about some Middle Eastern deity—again, not that it ever was. It is about the Resurrected King of Kings.

Even Halloween began, in the Christian era, as the precursor to All Saints Day in which the Early Christians celebrated the faithful whose faith had become sight.

What is interesting about all three of these holidays is that the “pagan elements” were separate altogether from the holiday as part of a different celebration altogether. It would be later in history (and mainly in the US) that the pagan and holy elements were mixed together.

But whether we choose to keep the Sabbath festivals of the Old Testament, the holidays of the Christian Church, or even the technically secular, but still admirable holidays like Thanksgiving, we can celebrate them all to the glory of God in good conscience. But, if you can’t, because your conscience convicts you, then don’t. Whatever you do, do in the name of the Lord.

And lastly, there is the discipline of retreat. It is the odd one of the bunch because it can be the hardest to plan for. But take a look with me at Mark 1.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Mark 1:35-39

Right before Jesus engages in another round of ministry, he retreats from everyone, even his disciples. It is not just another time of prayer. He is about to embark on a trying time of ministry. In order to do spiritual battle, he takes time to muster his strength and be fed by the Lord.

Spiritual Retreats give us time to prepare for the battles that lay ahead.

There are times in our lives when we must take a break. Whether we call it a vacation, a sabbatical, or whatever, the point is still the same. There are times in our lives when God is about to do something big with us. If we do not take special time away to prepare, then we will find ourselves burned out before we even get started.

As we close today, I want to return to the first point: The disciplines help us grow closer to the Lord and become the person we are designed by the Lord to be. Wherever we are in our spiritual walks, we are becoming the person that we will be when we lay this body down. It does not happen by accident. I learned late in life this truth: we become who we practice becoming. The culmination of our life is the product of the thousands of little decisions that happen every day.

Who is it that God is calling you to be?

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind when your time comes?

That life begins today. Make the decision to prioritize your spiritual health by planning these disciplines into the rhythms of your own life.