Stronger Disciplines
by Gary Johnson
From time to time, someone will ask me if I have any other hobbies besides work. After I chuckle, I respond with a “yes.” One particular hobby that I enjoy is hiking. In the last month, I was able to spend some time on two incredible trails.
Most recently, I hiked with Seth Bryant, a good friend and brother in Christ. Seth serves New Hope Christian Church in Roanoke, Virginia as Lead Pastor, and on a weather-perfect Saturday, we went hiking on the Appalachian Trail (AT) to McAffey’s Knob, which is often referred to as the most photographed spot on the AT.
A couple of weeks prior to that, I went on a hike with some close friends from The Creek. We flew to Israel and hiked what is called the Jesus Trail. Stretching a little over 40 miles from Nazareth to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, this was the popular route people walked centuries ago. In Luke 4:28-32, we read of how Jesus infuriated the Jews by declaring that the Messianic prophecy He read from Isaiah had been fulfilled in Him. They attempted to throw Him off from a cliff, but He slipped through the crowd and hiked to Capernaum, which became the place where He centered His ministry in Galilee. Hiking that trail in triple digit heat had a profound impact on me—physically and spiritually.
God has been kind to me. He has enabled me to hike hundreds of miles to the summits of thirty-one mountain peaks over 14,000 ft in elevation, including Mt. Kilimanjaro—the “roof of Africa” at 19,450 feet. To do this, I have enjoyed getting some exercise on a regular basis, whether cardio or weights, I’ve worked at having a healthy core.
Yet, Paul reminds me that “physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8). Just as I exercise to have a stronger core physically, I must make even greater effort at having a stronger core spiritually.
Stronger Discipline
The best, singular, most helpful book that I’ve ever read on this topic is Richard Fosters’ Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. This easy-to-read book explains practices that are not easy to pursue because I want what they can produce in my life. When Paul referred to “physical training,” he used the word gymnasia from which we derive our word gymnasium, and this word means to exercise.
A spiritual discipline is exercise that moves me (and you) into deeper and healthier relationship with God. If I want an ever-growing relationship with God, I will practice the spiritual disciplines. The more I want God, the more I will “get some exercise” in the disciplines.
Richard Foster identifies a dozen disciplines and places them in three primary categories: the inward, the outward and the corporate disciplines.
As I practice the four INWARD disciplines of prayer, fasting, Bible reading and meditation, I’m strengthening my spiritual core. I know all too well that I become what I eat! That is not only true when it comes to my physical diet, but it is equally true of my spiritual diet. When I daily exercise these four disciplines, my walk with God becomes deeper, healthier, and stronger.
Similarly, when I practice the four OUTWARD disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission and service, I am again strengthening my spiritual core. These four may not be as familiar as the first category. Outward disciplines focus on my attitudes and behaviors that impact my witness and relationships. For example, when I exercise simplicity, I practice being content with what I have. After all, less is more. When I have less “stuff” to take care of, I have more time with God (Phil 4:12). Solitude is retreating into quiet, lonely moments with God (Mt 11:28-20). Submission is thinking less often of myself, my needs and wants while humbly putting others before and above me (Phil 2:3-4). Service is just that – serving others for Jesus came to serve and not be served (Mark 10:45).
In the same way, when I practice the four CORPORATE disciplines of confession, guidance, worship and celebration, I again strengthen my spiritual core. These four disciplines are exercised with others. Confession means admitting to our sins and weaknesses (James 5:16). Guidance asks for advice from godly friends and family – and then following that advice (Prov 11:14). Worship of Jesus with one another is vital to my spiritual well-being (Heb 10:25), and the need to celebrate all that the Lord is doing in and through us is equally essential (Rom 12:15).
When Jesus healed the man born blind (John 9:6-7), He required him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Similarly, Jesus required the ten lepers to “go and show” themselves to the priest and as they went, they were healed (Luke 17:14). In both instances, Jesus could have healed them instantaneously on the spot. Yet, He required them to make an effort to receive the blessing of their healing. We live in a culture that wants something for nothing. If I want a strong relationship with God, I must make an effort to pursue and practice stronger discipline spiritually in my life.
My Challenge to You
On April 24, 2016, Tim Peake ran the London Marathon in a little over three and a half hours. It was a stellar time because Peake ran 26.2 miles on the International Space Station 248 hours above planet earth! While tethered to a treadmill, Mission Control in Houston, Texas, repeatedly asked the astronaut-runner, “How’s your heart?” They wanted to know how Tim’s heart was functioning. What if you and I gave people permission to ask us, “How’s your heart?” And I’m not referring to the function of our cardiac muscle. What if we helped one another practice stronger discipline? After all, “as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another” (Prov 27:17).
