Why Should I Practice Spiritual Disciplines?
Spiritual disciplines slow us down so that we can walk at the speed of God. They require hard work on the front end but produce a higher level of enjoyment in God in the long run. While they might seem like an added burden, they’re actually a wonderful blessing.
As a dad of four kids (ages seven, five, three, and one), I am well aware of how unenjoyable disciplines feel. “Brush your teeth,” “Pick up your clothes,” and “Just be a normal human being that does normal things” are all phrases I find myself saying or wanting to say to my kids.
To them, discipline feels oppressive. More than once, my oldest has had her equivalent of a “come to Jesus” meeting with Janan and me, doing her best to help us see that the vast amount of duties we have placed on her shoulders (keeping her room somewhat clean) are more than she can bear.
In these moments, no amount of reasoning or “Sweetheart, when you turn 25, you will appreciate these wonderful values your wise mom and dad are instilling in you” will suffice. All she knows is her goal is to play and have fun, and chores stand in the way. My little three-year-old even got in on the action the other day, walking around our dining room table, chanting, “No more chores!”
Many Christians feel the same way when it comes to spiritual disciplines. To some, it feels like a dirty phrase. Peter Scazzero says, “I believe part of the reason we find ourselves disenchanted with spiritual disciplines like Sabbath keeping is because our practice has degenerated into one of two extremes—legalism or licentiousness.”[1]
Legalism says, “I must practice spiritual disciplines to earn God’s favor.” Licentiousness (uncontrolled behavior) says, “Because God is God of grace, I can do anything I want, and I know he’ll forgive me.” Spiritual disciplines feel oppressive to people in both camps.
To escape this feeling of oppression, many Christians default to living very unstructured lives. They read their Bibles whenever they feel like it, pray if it’s convenient, and attend church if it fits their schedules. As a result, they feel "free," but they also settle for a lower level of enjoyment of God. This brings us to the real reason spiritual disciplines are so important.
