After reading Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, what do you
understand his main argument to be? Do you agree with him or disagree? Why or
why not? What are three spiritual disciplines you need to strengthen and how do
you plan to implement them
a a a a a a a a a a According to Donald Whitney, “The Spiritual Disciplines are those
personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. They are the
habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the
people of God since biblical times”.[1] Spiritual disciplines are about turning to
God, focusing on Him, listening to Him, speaking to Him, and then telling others
about Him. Strengthening our relationship with Him is both a motivation for, and a
result of, spiritual disciplines. The spiritual disciplines emphasize relationship. As
Paul writes to Timothy, “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily
discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it
holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).
Also, the spiritual disciplines uncover our sin that hinders our walk with God. It is
difficult to read God’s Word, speak to Him, and focus on Him without seeing
ourselves as the sinners we are. The spiritual disciplines challenge us to cry out
to God for forgiveness and cleansing. Once we are born again, we are to live as
transformed people and we are to strive to become more and more like Christ.
Practicing the spiritual disciplines help us to do that. As Kenneth Boa states, “If
we wish to be like our Master, we must imitate His practice: if we believe He
knew how to live, we must seek the grace to live like Him”.[2] As we create a
habit of using these spiritual disciplines, we will find ourselves closer to God and
more spiritually empowered.
a a a a a a a a a a In my opinion, the most important and compelling reason to practice the
spiritual disciplines is because even though Jesus was the only perfect person
ever to live, he still practiced spiritual disciplines. Throughout the gospels we see
Jesus practicing the spiritual disciplines such as praying (Luke 5:16), reading
Scripture (Luke 4:17–21), fasting (Matt. 4:2), and worshiping (Matt. 26:30). If
Jesus thought spiritual disciplines were crucial for himself, then they are even
more important for us. Jesus tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who
abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do
nothing” (John 15:5). It is vital that we recognize that remaining in Christ is not a
passive activity. Jesus tells us that staying connected to him is something that
we are to do actively. Spiritual disciplines enable us to maintain that connection.
As that connection is maintained, fruit is produced in us.
[1] Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs,
CO: NavPress, 2014), 3
[2] Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to
Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 78.
