by Terry Harris
Spiritual Disciplines
I hope you guys left Pilgrimage with the desire to make spiritual disciplines, or spiritual exercises, a vital part of your daily routine. It’s how we learn, grow, and mature in our faith. By seeking out and setting aside time to intentionally focus solely on Jesus Christ, that is how we draw closer to Him.
In 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, Paul says he has fed them with the “milk” and not the “meat” of the word. Just like newborn babies cannot digest meat when they are first born, they have to start out with milk. When we first become Christians, we need to start out with the “milk,” or the fundamentals, before we can move on to the “meat.” The Bible is full of God’s promises to each of us, and a treasure chest of jewels to discover; it also holds the answer to any question that life throws at us. It is the meat to sustain us.
By practicing spiritual disciplines, we learn more and more each day. Every time we read scripture, God is able to reveal things to us with a deeper understanding. Every time we pray, God is able to speak to us as we seek His guidance and direction. Every time we worship Him, we get the opportunity to show Him how much we love Him and thank Him for all that He has done, and is going to do, for us.
In my talk, I just mentioned a few spiritual disciplines. What spiritual discipline(s) have you found that work best for you? Is it early in the morning, middle of the day, or late at night? Is it quiet time spent in your prayer closet? Is it time spent with others in a group setting? Please share with the group some of the things you do that might help the rest of us find a new way to revamp our spiritual workout plan so we can flex our spiritual muscles.
I will start with what works best for me. I get an hour for lunch. So each day, I go out to my truck and turn on the radio. Dr. J. Vernon McGee has a “Thru the Bible” series that goes through the entire Bible over a five-year span. It comes on station 95.5 FM at 12:30 p.m. He alternates between books of the Old Testament and New Testament. There is also a five-book set of Dr. McGee’s commentary to read along with the radio or just to help study scripture. He has just started in the book of Isaiah. Even though Dr. McGee passed away back in 1988, his program is still going strong. One of my favorite quotes from him is this:
“The Bible. Know it in your head. Stow it in your heart. Show it in your life. Sow it in the world.”
Your Brother in Christ,
Terry Harris