Author Donald Whitney in his book ‘Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life’ has
guided his readers through a diverse array of disciplines, including worship,
prayer, evangelism, serving, learning, scripture meditation, and silence and
solitude. Each of the disciplines that the author has discussed is vital as they can
help individuals to grow in terms of godliness and spirituality[1]. The main
argument presented by Whitney is that believers of Jesus Christ need to cultivate
certain spiritual disciplines in them so that they could become more like Christ by
growing in maturity as well as character. I completely agree with his arguments,
and I believe that individuals must follow certain practices to become closer to
Jesus. For instance, a person could worship, pray, learn or serve s these
disciplines would help him to be with Jesus. These disciplines or practices would
act as the pathway that would help a person to adopt a biblical way to grow in
being more like Christ. The spiritual disciplines that Whitney has referred to could
motivate Christians to rightly feel encouraged and perform spiritual and biblical
disciplines. The verse 1 Timothy 4:7 states, ‘Discipline yourself for the purpose of
godliness.’[2] The author has presented a list of practices that individuals could
partake in to be one with Jesus.
The three spiritual disciplines that I need to strengthen are serving, stewardship
of time and money, and learning. In hectic times, it is very easy to focus on one’s
self-interest instead of focusing on the needs of others. I intend to strengthen my
spiritual discipline relating to serving others so that I could be of help and
assistance to fellow Christians. Another important spiritual discipline that I want
to strengthen relates to stewardship of time and money. It is very easy for people
to ignore the value of time and money. I do not want to be one of the individuals
who do not value his money and time. On the contrary, I want to be someone
who is capable of managing and valuing the time and money that God has given
me. It is quite easy to get carried away in life and take everything for granted. I
intend to strengthen my stewardship of time and money. The final spiritual
discipline that I wish to strengthen revolves around learning. I want to constantly
grow and learn as an individual. Only by constantly learning I can make the most
of the opportunities in life and serve Christianity.
I plan to implement the three spiritual disciplines by adopting diverse approaches.
I plan to strengthen my ability to serve by taking part in voluntary activities in the
community setting. I plan to enhance my spiritual discipline relating to
stewardship of time and money by maintaining a schedule to manage my time
and other resources efficiently. Ultimately, I plan to implement the ‘learning’
spiritual discipline by interacting with diverse members of the community church
on a regular basis. By implementing these spiritual disciplines in my life, I could
become closer to Jesus Christ.
[1] Whitney, Donald, and Rita Platt. "Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life".
Goodreads.Com, Last modified 2021.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213368.Spiritual_Disciplines_for_the_Chris
tian_Life.
[2] "Bible Gateway Passage: 1 Timothy 4:7-8 - New American Standard Bible",
Bible Gateway, Last modified 2021,
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%204%3A7-
8&version=NASB.
Bibliography
"Bible Gateway Passage: 1 Timothy 4:7-8 - New American Standard Bible", Bible
Gateway, Last modified 2021,
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%204%3A7-
8&version=NASB.
Whitney, Donald, and Rita Platt. "Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life".
Goodreads.Com, Last modified 2021.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213368.Spiritual_Disciplines_for_the_Chris
tian_Life.
