4 Spiritual Disciplines to Try This Month
I wrote a long-form essay about liturgy and discipleship and transformation (that I’m still deciding how to publish) and I wanted to share the 3 key takeaways that I wrote about because they’ve been so relevant in my life lately as we’re in the January goal-setting craze.
Disciplines—read as: practices, liturgies, habits—aren’t always so hard, or so taxing as we might think them to be (like punishment, or chores). Some (most) are automatic. They are second nature. And it is those practices, the disciplines we partake in daily without thought or care that reveal to us who our master and mentor truly are.
My list of second-nature disciplines is not as spiritual as I wish it were:
Scrolling through Instagram (worshipping at the feet of comparison, nostalgia, self)
Triple checking my bank account before I buy that coffee (worshipping at the feet of avarice, greed, self)
Watching just one more episode (worshipping at the feet of convenience, laziness, self)
Before we lose ourselves in self-pity, let’s turn to Scripture:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2; NIV)
There are a couple of awesome things to note here.
Everything we do as Christians stem from the view of God’s mercy. Like WHAT?? We don’t earn mercy by doing, we DO because of the mercy we’ve been freely given. If you close this post right now to rest in that truth, I’d be thrilled.
If we don’t choose to let God renew our minds and transform us, we will be conformed to the world just by default. The ways that we live our lives and the habits we engage in are discipling us in SOMETHING. What that something is, however, is (by God’s grace) our decision…
We have a choice in conforming to this world. The pull of our tendencies, our innate sinfulness, our developed world views, our plain ole desires are strong, don’t get me wrong. But God is stronger.
In light of those 3 truths, here are 4 spiritual disciplines to try out that are direct responses to the ways the world is already conforming us.
View God’s mercy “...in view of God’s mercy…” Rm. 12:1
Soak in it. Look for it. Ground yourself here first! What an incredible blessing to be commanded to just rest in who God is and what Christ has done for us. Before we can act on behalf of Christ, we must have the right view of who we are and who He is. It will always come back to learning about God Himself.
Suggested spiritual discipline
Scripture meditation. As cliche as it might sound, the Scriptures tell the story of a powerfully loving God who moves Heaven and Earth to capture our hearts. Carve out time in your day to find a few verses about the character of God. Read them over and over to yourself, and ask God to meet you there. Call them to mind throughout the day, and thank God for His mercy and love for you.
Don’t conform “...Do not conform to the pattern of this world…” Rm. 12:2
Do not conform. But didn’t we just read how we are, essentially, disciples of this world?! Is all hope lost for us? Of course not. We are, remember, “living sacrifices.” We are not static creatures, and discipleship is a process. We have the blessing to choose daily who we will serve.
I read the phrase “don’t conform” as “deny.” Deny this world. Actively note those disciplines that are automatic, and rather than merely stopping them, actively replace them with “holy and pleasing” disciplines instead—starting with viewing the mercy of God.
Suggested spiritual discipline
Sacrificial giving. Did you notice that in every item I listed in my discipline list above, the altar of “self” was named? That’s because the root of every one of our sinful, conforming behaviors is us. Is the need to satisfy our own needs, perceived or otherwise. To deny this “pattern of this world,” build in sacrificial giving to your life. Prayerfully challenge your tithing. Budget with the earnest prayer that God would ask more of you and the finances He’s blessed you with.
Renew your mind to be transformed “...be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Rm 12:2
This is the most crucial — and most gracious — part, I believe. It’s reflective of God Himself. Not only did Jesus die and take sin with Him, He rose to life and gives us life abundant! So as disciples, not only do we reject the world, God does not command (in this passage) “do not conform, and then try your darndest to conform to my laws.” He commands renewal and promises the transformation from that.
What?! How wildly gracious is this! The transformation of our minds — which controls our lives — will begin as we choose renewal. As we pursue being filled up with the knowledge of the goodness of our God. We do because of who we are. And it’s only as we live our lives deeply rooted in that identity — in that renewal — that we lead the lives we are called to live — we live transformed.
Suggested Spiritual discipline
Prayer. Not last-minute prayers, not prayers where we do all the talking (I am guilty!). It’s prayers of communing with God that brings this renewal! Praying through the Scriptures or simply sitting and listening for the voice of God are great, out-of-our-comfort-zone places to start.
Test and “...approve God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will...” Rm. 12:2
This passage has shown us a beautiful pattern of the Christian life: view God’s mercy, then deny this world. Renew your mind, then test God’s will; we rest in who we are, then we do as we are commanded.
Before, we denied the patterns of this world. But now Paul is calling us to a deeper call: to deny ourselves. Paul calls us to “test and approve” God’s will. Our will is not involved. In fact, we test our will prayerfully against Scripture, and then we toss it into the fire if it is not God’s will. But, as we spend more time in spiritual disciplines and renewing our minds, our will actually starts to draw nearer to God’s will. Isn’t that incredible? The ultimate goal of discipleship is to become like Jesus Christ. This passage tells us that we become like Jesus by being like Jesus—we behave (with spiritual disciplines) like Christ, and then our hearts and minds start to become the heart and mind of Christ.
Suggested spiritual discipline
Christian fellowship. Beyond the fact that our souls were made for community, to attempt to test God’s will alone is foolish. The passage in Romans that follows this one discusses the body of Christ. It is clear that we were not meant to accomplish these spiritual disciplines—the renewing of our minds, the viewing of God’s mercy, or the denying of this world—all on our own. Rather, dedicate yourself to community prayer, the life of a local church, and sacrificially giving together with other believers. Discernment of God’s will and our own spiritual growth happens in fellowship.
And, might I suggest, that when we “test and approve” the will of God, whether in our own lives or in the life of a fellow disciple, we cannot help but view the mercy of God, starting our pattern over again. We have created a new pattern to conform to—the pattern of discipleship.