Whitney’s main argument is that Christians need to discipline themselves for the
purpose of godliness.[1] d Every Christian is indwelled with the Holy Spirit, and it is
the Holy Spirit that makes godliness our purpose, and we pursue our purpose,
godliness, by practicing spiritual disciplines.[2] d Spiritual disciplines are practices
in Scripture that promote our spiritual growth; they are things we do to become
more like Jesus.[3]
Whitney provided a convincing argument on the importance of spiritual
disciplines. I agree with him when he explained that we should practice spiritual
disciplines for the purpose of godliness. d The Bible is clear that we are to mature
and grow into the image of Christ ― “whom He foreknew, He also predestined to
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren” (Rom 8:29).[4] d In Romans, Paul urges believers to be transformed
by the renewing of their minds (Rom 12:2). d Spiritual disciplines help in our
transformation, and as we are transformed, our lives will honor Christ and enable
us to be fruitful in ministering the gospel.
The spiritual disciplines Whitney provided included Bible intake (hearing, reading,
meditating, and memorizing God’s Word), prayer, worship, evangelism, serving
stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, learning, and perseverance.
The three spiritual disciplines I need to strengthen are memorizing Scripture,
meditation, and journaling.
There was a time when I would practice memorizing God’s Word, but I have
neglected that practice in recent years. d With so much going on and memorizing
various details for school, I have not focused on memorizing Scripture. d It wasn’t
intentional, and I have not given it much thought; I just stopped. d I’m in agreement
with Whitney; memorizing God’s Word provides spiritual power, strengthens our
faith, prepares us for witnessing and counseling, and stimulates mediation.[5] d
This class is helping me to, once again, memorize Scripture. d I plan to be
intentional and memorize at least one verse a week after this class is complete. d
In my daily reading, I always come to verses that stand out, but I neglect to write
them down, so I end up forgetting them. Therefore, I will do less reading and
spend time writing down verses that I would like to memorize. d Also, this is my
last class required to complete my degree, so I should have more time to focus
on memorizing Scripture.
Another spiritual discipline I like to enhance is meditation. d I do meditate on God’s
Word, but I can do more. d As I increase my memorization of Scripture, I will
enhance my mediation. d Whitney makes an excellent point when he asserts that
we forget what we read in the Bible not because we have a poor memory but
because we fail to meditate on what we read.[6] d Meditation is the absorption of
Scripture and absorption leads to transformation.[7] d My plan for increasing my
mediation of Scripture is to leverage what I memorize and be more intentional
about meditating on Scripture throughout my daily activities, i.e., exercise, driving,
waiting in line, etc.
The last spiritual discipline I would love to strengthen is journaling. d Whitney
describes a journal as “a place to document the works and ways of God in [our]
life.”[8] d There are occasions in which I write down spiritual insights, Scripture, or
prayers on a piece of paper or index card, but I end up misplacing what I wrote
down. d Whitney pointed out that journaling can help with mediation, memorizing
God’s Word, and in expressing my thoughts and feelings to the Lord.[9] d These
are all things I want to do. d I like and will use Whitney’s idea of using a loose-leaf
notebook with pages that can fit into a Bible or book.[10] d That way, I can keep a
notebook page in my Bible for easy access and eventually file it in a notebook to
ensure it does not get misplaced.
[1] Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 2nd ed. (Colorado
Springs: Navpress, 2014), 4.
[2] Ibid., 3-4.
[3] Ibid., 5-6.
[4] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New King
James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
[5] Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 39-41.
[6] Ibid., 53.
[7] Ibid., 51.
[8] Ibid., 249.
[9] Ibid., 255-257.
[10] Ibid., 267.
