The Godly Gazette (Other Disciplines)

Other Disciplines

Good Stewardship

Practicing good stewardship is an essential spiritual discipline that will help remove worldly desires such as status, glamour, and luxury. Good stewardship goes completely against the world culture and obsession of the pursuit of happiness (comfort, indulgence, leisure, luxury, self pleasure, etc…)

Good stewardship involves being frugal with the resources that God allows you to have. Frugality is not necessarily being stingy, but it is being aware of your attitude towards money and possessions. It means to use your resources wisely, not wastefully. Faithful tithing and timely offerings are a big part of good stewardship.

Solitude and Silence

You need to create a time and place in your daily schedule that is solely for the purpose of being alone and still before God. Focus your attention on scripture, prayer, and seeking God’s presence.

Silence and solitude combined with attention to the presence of God is the starting point for all other practices. It can be a place where God's voice can touch your heart, revealing His perspective on the world, your circumstances, your goals, your relationships, and more.

Service

Service is more than a spiritual discipline, and should be considered as a way of regulating your entire life. When done with the right attitude, serving others will free you from resentment, hierarchy, arrogance, the need for control, and more.

You should serve others out of love in your heart, to please God, not for recognition, appreciation, or praise. Jesus came to serve (Matthew 20:28), and God created you to serve. Be ready and open to serve at anytime, and never refuse anyone a good deed.

Submission

This discipline brings freedom from the need to have things your way. We need the freedom that comes from living life in complete honesty, transparency, and openness to correction and discipline.

We must be open and accountable to each other, particularly those who we entrust with our spiritual care (i.e., pastors, deacons, teachers, mentors). Hebrews 13:17 tells us to submit to authority and obey our leaders, as those who must give account.

Submit yourself to others in confession, correction, service, and obedience "out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). Submission means to reject the idea that you are above anyone, and acknowledge that you are under the authority of the King of kings.

Sacrifice

This is the practice of giving up things that make us feel secure, to find our security in God. It is giving up the security of our own resources, stepping out in faith and hope that God will bear with us. It is reaching beyond our comfort zone where we must trust in the resources of God.

This, however, does not mean to become irresponsible, avoiding debts to give to a good cause. Because God wants you to be a good steward, He will never call you to sacrifice out of irresponsibility.

When you choose to sacrifice, you will experience the amazing depths of God's ability to provide. Only when you are totally abandoned to God will you discover the full wealth of His resources. Consider this image… the careful faith that never jumps from the plane without a parachute, can never experience the ways that God can land them safely…

Celebration

The life of a Christian is about living in the joy and peace of Christ. Our lives, as disciples of Jesus, should be one of celebration. Even though we live in a dark and suffering world, we live with the confidence that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).

We can celebrate through the sadness of death because we know that Jesus has conquered death. We can celebrate in times of suffering because we know that God is with us, and can use all things for His glory.

Beyond suffering, God has given us many good things to celebrate. God is good, and the life He gives us is good. His Word offers us an abundant life of beauty and love. There is answered prayer, there is victory, there are changed lives, there is a hope, there is a future and so much more to celebrate. Rejoice always, and be glad in the Lord (Psalm 40:16).

Fellowship

Fellowship is the reality of the church. We can not serve Christ through isolation. God calls us to come together as a community, and a church. You do need times of solitude and silence, but that is only a part of your healthy spiritual growth, which will give you better understanding and service when returning to the group.

Fellowship can be practiced in several ways. First, and foremost, it will include your regular attendance to a church of which you are a member, and getting involved with people in the church. Fellowship involves reaching out, participating, sharing, giving of your time, energy, love, and encouragement.

Maybe you can start a bible study or small group. Maybe you can get involved in local community programs. Maybe you can visit local nursing homes and hospitals. Try reaching out to local shut-ins and isolated elderly people. As Christians, we should not allow people to sit and suffer in isolation. God calls us to fellowship.

Confess and Repent

Secret and unconfessed sin is one of the most destructive forces to your spiritual life. Sin breaks your fellowship with God, and unconfessed sin will lead to a stronghold of sinful behavior in your life. Your sins can not be hidden from God (Psalm 139:7-12). But, when you confess your sins, it restores your fellowship with God, and He forgives your sins (1 John 1:9).

Repenting of your sins means to turn away from them. As a Christian you will not want to continue in a sinful life, because God’s seed is in you (1 John 3:9). As you confess your sins, ask God to give you the strength to resist the temptations, and to turn away from those sins.

There are other spiritual disciplines that you need to consider as well. Devotional readings and journalizing are a couple others to think about adding to your daily life. As you seek God's face in prayer, ask Him to reveal other areas where you might need to add disciplines to your spiritual walk.

Poem - Sin or Win

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