Week 4 | Tuesday

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

If you’ve been around any church for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard someone reference spiritual disciplines or practices. Multiple lists of disciplines and practices exist, each with their own labels and recommendations for how to engage them. How do you know which to utilize? Better yet, what even qualifies as a spiritual discipline or practice?

There’s no such thing as an exhaustive list, a perfect list, or a finished list. Some practices resonate more with certain people and not at all with others. The critical thing to understand is that these practices are designed to help you become more complete, more fully integrated, more like Jesus.

Practices and disciplines can’t make you anything in and of themselves. Don’t confuse methods and Messiah. Jesus saves. The Holy Spirit guides. You can’t make yourself more complete by engaging in these disciplines. However, they can help you connect with the Holy Spirit, your paraclete, your counselor, your guide, your helper. These disciplines are what we call means of grace – things we participate in that help us hear from and respond to God.

As you engage in the disciplines and practices that resonate the most with you, understand they may grow and change over time. A few, however, should be a consistent part of your life through all seasons. Among them are Bible reading, prayer, gathering with others, building relationships, and resting. These help us answer four simple questions as we become more like Jesus.

Who is God?

What has He done (particularly through Jesus)?

With that in mind, who am I?

In light of that, what do I do?

Reading a Bible translation that makes sense to you is incredibly important. If you can’t track with King James or the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), try the New International Version (NIV) or New Living Translation (NLT). Those read a little more like people tend to talk. If you don’t have a Bible, you can download a free Bible app on your phone or tablet or go to bible.com, biblehub.com, or biblegateway.com for great web-based bibles. You can, of course, find lots of physical Bibles on Amazon, too.

Talk to God. Ask Him to prepare you for the next phase of this journey.