The power of spiritual disciplines
Morning routines, fruit, legalism
I wish I could say that I have a stellar, no-fail, non-negotiable morning routine.
You have no idea how much I want to be one of those people who gets up with the sun and enjoys an hour or two of peace and quiet before launching into the workday and all it entails.
But, despite some half-baked efforts on my end, I haven’t yet mastered that art. I generally prefer to stay up late—lots of my best writing (and most of the work for this newsletter) happens after 8 p.m., when the world is quieter and the demands of the day are (for the most part) behind me.
I spoke about my relationship with routines and rituals earlier this year. For all my struggles before the workday begins, I’m actually a fan of a predictable schedule that can be executed consistently.
During the month of September, I want to expand on the concept that I teased in March and really dig into what I’m calling “spiritual disciplines.”
Defining spiritual disciplines
For our purposes, a spiritual discipline is a consistent routine that exercises your spiritual muscles. These are things that aid you in the lifelong project of becoming more Christlike.
You can probably think of a handful of things that fit that description, but I’ve narrowed it down to three essential spiritual disciplines that we’ll discuss in turn this month. They are:
Prayer, or the act of conversing with God.
Reading scripture to understand God’s character and the story of his people.
Gathering with fellow believers, typically through formal worship services.
What’s the use?
So, why are these things so important? As always, we find the answer in scripture. James tells us that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
Jesus has a similar message in Matthew 7:15-20:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
And later, Paul expands on this fruit tree metaphor in Galatians 5:
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 5:16, 22-23
So, it’s well-established in scripture that, though we are saved by Christ’s death and resurrection, we’re also supposed to be active participants in the process.
No, it’s not a works-based salvation
If you’re starting to worry that this sounds a bit like legalism, let me assuage your fears.
Typically, “legalism” refers to the attitude that is most often associated with the Pharisees throughout the gospels. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect set apart by their strict adherence to the law. In the Bible, we routinely see them trying to entrap Jesus by quizzing him on the law of the Torah, hoping to catch him in a violation and therefore discredit his teaching.
The sin at the heart of legalism, though, isn’t a dedication to duty—it’s pride.
The lie of legalism is that, through your own effort, you can merit God’s grace. A legalistic attitude is also a fast track to a feeling of superiority over other believers. Once you start keeping score, you’ve lost the plot and fallen victim to the sneakiest and most sinister of sins.
Unfortunately, none of us are immune to the effects of pride. In reality, we don’t become morally perfect at the moment we start walking with Jesus. How different things would be if we did! Instead, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to aid us in the lifelong process of sanctification.
My point is this: It’s easy (and even exciting) to act out these spiritual disciplines when you feel more holy. But, pretty soon, the Law of Undulation will kick in, and you’ll find yourself uninspired, discouraged, or just downright tired. That’s when it’s unbelievably important to do it anyway.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve grown afraid of “doing things for the sake of doing them” for fear that a dutiful attitude can be distorted into legalism. And, sure, it might be—but that’s no reason to give up on the things that will bring you closer to God and his people. That’s what his grace is designed for. “If you tarry till you’re better, you will never come at all.”
What to expect
Over the next three weeks, I’ll be digging into each of the topics I mentioned above—prayer, reading scripture, and gathering with believers—and discussing their importance to the Christian walk.
Have an insight on one of those topics that you want to share? Email me at egsphillips@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post to get the conversation going—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Now, LMK:
What are your non-negotiable spiritual disciplines? How do you stay consistent when you don’t feel inspired? Let’s talk in the comments.
And a recommendation:
A little unconventional this week, but last Thursday I got to see Switchfoot perform their album The Beautiful Letdown in its entirety to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary. They’re about to rerelease the album with a host of interesting guest features, but in the meantime I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this song:
Don’t close your eyes!