The Most Important Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual Disciplines are “habits, practices, and experiences that are designed to develop, grow, and strengthen” a believer's spiritual life. They are things that Christians can, and are, expected to do, for their own benefit, as opposed to Spiritual Gifts, which are meant for the uplifting of a group of believers. Although they are for the individual, doing these will make us more like Christ, and lead us to benefit others in many ways. Two Bible passages which are direct commands to engage in self-initiated exercise toward spiritual growth are 1 Timothy 4:7b (Exercise yourself toward godliness ...) and Philippians 2:12b (work out your own salvation with fear and trembling...).

There is no widely agreed-upon list of Spiritual  Disciplines. The chart below uses four sources which do give lists, and compares them. My own list is derived from these, and is below.

Spiritual Disciplines chart (I attempted to line up the same items across the chart, but Blogger and/or your browser may not line them up properly. Sorry.)

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline Fasting Meditation Prayer Service Simplicity Solitude Study Submission

Dallas Willard, the Spirit of the Disciplines Celebration§ Chastity* Confession§ Fasting* Fellowship§ Frugality* Prayer§ Sacrifice* Secrecy* Service§ Silence* Solitude* Study § Submission§ Worship §

Brett & Kate McKay “What are Spiritual Disciplines?” Celebration Chastity Confession Contemplation Evangelism Fasting Fellowship Gratitude Journaling Meditation Prayer Self-Examination Silence Simplicity Solitude Stewardship Study Submission/Obedience

Adele Ahlberg, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook Confession Compassion Detachment Discernment Fasting Intercession Lord’s Supper Prayer (at fixed time(s)) Service Stewardship Study Witness Worship

*Willard calls these “Disciplines of Abstinence” and §these “Disciplines of Engagement.”

These Disciplines are mentioned in all four sources: Fasting, Prayer, and Study.

These are mentioned in three of these sources: Confession, Service, Solitude, Submission. It would seem, then, that at least these seven Disciplines are important, even essential, for the proper Christian life.
I’m guessing that “Solitude” includes Meditation, and would add that Discipline to the “most important” list. Individual Worship can be combined with Meditation and Solitude. Celebration is one form of Worship. 

There are other things that a Christian normally should do, including Celebration, Evangelism/Witnessing and group Worship, which includes the Lord’s Supper, but these don’t strike me as Disciplines. Neither does Discernment.

Journaling can be part of Study and Meditation. Contemplation and Self-Examination are part of Meditation. Celibacy, Detachment and Secrecy are aspects of Solitude. Stewardship is an aspect of Service. Stewardship often leads to Frugality and Simplicity.

Gratitude may not be a Discipline, in the minds of all. Perhaps they see it as part of Meditation. Celebration is  part of Gratitude, too. However, it seems to me, based on the Bible’s emphasis on it, that Gratitude is so important, and should be engaged in almost continuously, that I’m going to add it to my list of the most important Disciplines.

Adoration – praising God for who and what He is – as opposed to Gratitude, thanking God for specific things He has done, is not on any of the lists, but, again, it strikes me as so important that it is included in the list below. There are important Biblical prayers that include Adoration, such as Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple (“Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you …”), the prayer of the Disciples in Acts 4 (“O Lord, you are God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea …”) part of Christ’s High Priestly prayer in John (“17:5 Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed….”), Psalm 8:1 (“Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!”), Psalm 104 (1 Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.”). Other passages with adoration are Hebrews 1 (3a “His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power …”), the song of the angels at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:14a “Glory to God in the highest …”) and John’s description of the Holy City (Revelation 21:22 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple. 21:23 The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”)

None of the sources list “Bible Reading” as a Discipline. Bible Reading is not necessarily the same thing as Bible Study, however, and I would add that to the list of most important Disciplines, which is meant to include all of those mentioned in the table above, in some way:

Adoration, Bible Reading, Bible Study, Confession, Fasting, Gratitude, Meditation, Prayer, Service, Solitude, Submission.

Thanks for reading! Practice the Spiritual Disciplines.

Meditation in Scripture

I am ashamed to admit that, until this year, I have not thought seriously about the Spiritual Disciplines. (Also called spiritual exercises or spiritual practices.) As I understand these, they are things that believers ought to do regularly, so as to follow Christ, and to be more like him. I began reading a couple of books (see here and here) on the subject a few months ago. Our pastor just finished a short series based on Spiritual Disciplines. The Bible does not have a list of Spiritual Disciplines, and different authors suggest somewhat different lists.

1 Timothy 4:7b ("Exercise yourself toward godliness.") and Philippians 2:12b ("Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.") are two places where the Spiritual Disciplines are alluded to. Reading the Gospels shows us that Jesus practiced at least some of them, especially prayer, submission, service and solitude. Reading Acts shows us that the early church practiced at least prayer, fasting, and service.

Most or all lists of Spiritual Disciplines include Meditation. There is a type of meditation that, although it may have some benefits, is not Christian. Scriptural meditation, however, is not the same thing. It is not “new age.” New age meditation is about you. Scriptural meditation is about God. Meditation, as defined in Webster’s dictionary of 1913, is “To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon; to study.” Here are most of the references to meditation in the Bible, using the World English Bible, which is public domain, except as indicated:

Genesis 24:63a Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the evening.

Joshua 1:8a This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, … 2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.

63:5b My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches.

77:11 I will remember [the Lord’s] deeds; … I will remember your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all your work, and consider your doings.

119:15 (Also Psalm 119:78) I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways,

23 Though princes … slander me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. 

119:27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works.

119:48 I reach out my hands for your commandments, which I love. I will meditate on your statutes.

119:97 How I love your law! It is my meditation all day.

119:99b your testimonies are my meditation.

119:148 My eyes stay open through the night watches, that I might meditate on your word.

143:5 I remember the days of old. I meditate on all your doings. I contemplate the work of your hands.

145:5 Of the glorious majesty of your honor, of your wondrous works, I will meditate.

1 Timothy 4:15a Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; (KJV. Here is chapter 4 of 1 Timothy, which indicates what Paul meant by "these things.")

Most of the occurrences of meditation in the Bible refer to the Law, or to various synonyms for it in Psalm 119. Presumably, the authors were referring to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, because, in many cases, the rest of the Bible hadn't been written.

There are three places, indicated in green above, where the meditation was to be on what God has done.

We don't know what Isaac was meditating about. The first five books of the Bible weren't written, or weren't mostly written in his time.

One of the occurrences above is marked in red. That one seems to say that, if we run into opposition for our faith, the best strategy is to remember God's power, rather than worry about responding.

I should meditate daily. On what? It's a good idea to meditate -- "contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon; to study" -- on the Bible. One aspect of the Bible that I should meditate on is to meditate on the life, mission, and character of Jesus Christ. (Passages that should help in that are John 15, Philippians 2, Colossians 1, Hebrews 2, and many others.) 1 Timothy 4 seems to indicate that we should meditate on end times*. It's a good idea to remind myself of what God has done for me, and those I care for, daily. It's a good idea to meditate on the wonders, both spectacular and "ordinary," of God's creation.

Thanks for reading. Meditate on Christ, and the Bible. May I do so, too!

*It's probably not wise to let our meditation on end times dwell too much on whether or not there will be a rapture, and, if there is, when it will be, or about the existence and timing of the tribulation. See here. Rather, we should comfort ourselves by remembering that Christ is returning, at some point, that we will have eternal fellowship with Him, that things that are out of sorts will be put right, and that Christ will be recognized as Lord of all. We should probably also meditate on people who are not ready for Christ's return, and what we might do so that they will become so.