Spiritual disciplines are those activities and exercises we submit to which allow us to train our souls and bodies for enjoying a proper relationship with the God of the covenant.

The natural inclination of our minds, hearts, consciences, and lives is to seek out something other than God to be devoted to, and to walk in paths other than those which He has marked out for us in His Law. This is the unseen work of sin within our souls. If we are ever going to be the kind of people who may expect to know the glory and blessings of God, we must apply ourselves to the disciplines God prescribes for us.

We’re all in some ways like the people waiting at the foot of the mountain for God to come down. That smoke and light display a bit earlier was pretty amazing. And those Ten Commandments, yep, they could see how that would be to their advantage. When Moses headed back up the mountain to receive additional information about the covenant God was making with His people, Israel seemed ready to go as the nation God had redeemed for Himself.

But “out of sight, out of mind” was the order of the day. The people had not forgotten the mighty deliverance God accomplished on their behalf. They simply became impatient. They did not know how to wait on the Lord, so they thought they could make gods to take the place of the Lord God as an expression of their “What has He done for us lately?” attitude, an attitude that would plague them throughout their trek through the wilderness.

The people of Israel were not thinking correctly; they had not trained their mindsto remember the mighty works of the Lord and to ponder His graciousness and power.

Their hearts had become impatient and fearful. They had begun to love their temporal wellbeingmore than Him Who alone could accomplish their wellbeing.

Their values and priorities became unglued. They valued gods they could see – because they had made them – rather than the unseen God Who had shown them His glory. Thus they showed that their consciences were not yet anchored in seeking, knowing, and obeying the Lord as their highest priorities.

And their practices – the outcomes of their life in the covenant – were already violating the first three commandments, before they’d even left the foot of the mountain!

And we’re all just like this. We are all inclined to turn away from God, soul and body, unless we discipline our hearts, minds, consciences, and daily livesto follow the path God has marked out.

Spiritual disciplines are the divinely-provided tools and practices that can help us to bring greater measures of revival to our souls and bodies. By practicing spiritual disciplines we get ourselves in shape to know the glory and blessings of God.

Thus it is yet another measure of God’s grace that, knowing our weakness and need, He prescribes for us a regimen of disciplines that can enable us to know His favor – and avoid His wrath.

T. M. Moore

The book of Ecclesiastes is a crucial resource for understanding the Biblical worldview against the backdrop of our secular age. Follow T. M.’s studies in Ecclesiastes by downloading the free, weekly studies available in our Scriptorium Resources page at The Fellowship of Ailbe. Click here to see the weekly studies available thus far.

Want to grow your own spiritual disciplines as you learn more about the unseen realm? Order a copy of The Landscape of Unseen Things, T. M.’s 24-lesson study of that realm which anchors our Christian worldview.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.