History of
Spiritual Disciplines
The quest for spiritual maturity is not accomplished
simply by aging. Every follower of Jesus
Christ is on this quest whether or not it is acknowledged as we, like fruit
bearing trees, must continue to grow.
This is not unique to the Christian faith nor is it some mystical
religious experience. It is life under
the lordship of Jesus the Christ just as the individual who is outside of
Christ lives a life under no or a different lordship. In this paper we will examine the origin and
effect that the spiritual disciplines have on this Christian life. Regardless of talent or coordination no one
has ever mastered riding a bicycle without failing first.
Spiritual disciplines have existed as long as there has
been Spirit and we find our first example of discipline given to us by the
Spirit found in Genesis. “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface
of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis
1:2). From the beginning we see a
patient Spirit waiting for the formation of the earth to be complete and for
humanity to be created. There are a
number of traits or activities that are labeled as spiritual disciplines but
since we are starting in the beginning we will examine some of the first
disciplines to develop.
Prayer or communication with God has
been the lifeline for the followers of the Almighty God since the
beginning. From Moses to Daniel prayer
is a discipline that not only enriches the individual but builds the spiritual
bridge between the divine and humanity. The
form of communication with God has remained unchanged in many aspects as the
believer today can speak with their God just as the forefathers of our faith
once did. We find in Scripture a direct
communication line with a few select individuals in history but even those
individuals would commit themselves to a prayer life. The best example is found in Jesus, the Son
of God as He certainly could have spoken to His Father face to face but showed
His disciples the power of prayer. “The Gospels relate that he was fasting (Matt 4:2;
Luke 4:2), which naturally included prayer, and probably for the sake of
dealing with the constant barrage of temptation” (Hardin, 2012, p. 221) .
It should be noted that
although Jesus had access to scores of angels and divinity itself He chose to
show humanity how to love God and each other through these disciplines. This again could have been accomplished
through a show of supernatural power that left His audience in awe of His mighty
power. Instead Jesus would go to quiet
places where He could be with His Father and be encouraged and refreshed. This is an activity we can all share in
without having access to scores of angels or even an ability to walk on
water. “The gospels show us
that Jesus regularly sought solitude, particularly before and after important
events. He began his ministry in the desert, and ended his ministry in
Gethsemane with times of solitude” (Vos, 2012, p. 105) .
Few have been able to grasp the
importance and effect spiritual discipline has on the follower better than the
Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul describes
this process to everyday life in a series of small parables comparing our own
spiritual formation through the process of discipline. He instructs us to run the race with the
purpose of winning that race and then he explains to the reader what it takes
to do so. ‘Therefore
I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer
beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and
make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). We all want to be like Mike (Jordan) until we
see his work ethic that he incorporates with his gifts from God.
Until the importance of spiritual
discipline is understood there will be few that venture into the uncomfortable
path of growth. Charles Spurgeon once
said, “I must take care above all that I cultivate communion with
Christ, for though that can never be the basis of my peace - mark that - yet it
will be the channel of it.” We need not
be as eloquent as Spurgeon but we do need to come to some concrete realization
of our need for discipline and the practice of spiritual disciplines in our
walk with God. Any meaningful
relationship is a treasured gift and it continues to grow as we continue to
invest ourselves in expressing our gratitude and appreciation for this gift. Regardless of talent or coordination no one
has ever mastered riding a bicycle without failing first.
No comments:
Post a Comment