Spiritual Disciplines: Obligation or Opportunity?

Periodically, a new program appears calling individuals to a deeper commitment to Christ. Generally, these programs suggest some form of accountability for practicing the spiritual disciplines. Throughout the centuries—from the Desert Fathers to the Spiritual Disciplines of St. Ignatius to the eight-point record system of 1950s Sunday schools to the contemporary practices of Richard Foster—this call to a deeper spiritual life has been part of a Christian’s journey. Currently, people are expressing renewed interest in spiritual direction, a process through which a trained director helps a seeker discern the ways of the Spirit. The director often guides the seeker to the classical spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines affect both the inner and outer life. The inner disciplines include prayer and meditation, fasting, Bible study and devotional reading, silence and solitude, and the practice of taking a moral inventory. The outer disciplines include worship and praise, fellowship, missions, ministry, service, and the giving of one’s resources. These disciplines help deepen a believer’s faith and increase his or her intimacy with Christ. We practice them to approach wholeness and health and experience our salvation more fully. Through the disciplines, we learn to walk in fellowship with Christ, who transforms us. Then, as a natural outcome, we extend that love into the world. God issues the call to a deeper life in a variety of ways, but however we receive the call, the purpose of the disciplines is to help us “follow God more nearly, know God more clearly, and love God more dearly ” (Richard of Chichester). In this unit, we take a deeper look at some of the disciplines and consider their practice as a response to God’s love. “Richard of Chichester,” bartleby.com, (18 December, 2002).