Reading Time: 3 min 49 sec
Do you ever wonder how you can work with Jesus in the transforming of your soul? Are you hungry and desperate for God? Are you doing the foundational stuff (see this blog post) but just can’t seem to figure out how to go deeper? Let’s dive into how we can work with God in becoming more like Jesus.
“A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do.” Dallas Willard
Have you ever reacted in such a way, whether it be an argument, an emergency, or after a long day, that made you cringe? Where after seeking forgiveness, (for the thousandth time), you throw up your hands, and wonder how on earth you are ever going to cultivate patience, kindness, service and actually, utilize it in the heat of the moment no less? How do you develop life as a disciple of Jesus; someone who actually demonstrates in word and action a life lived in surrender to God?
Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a vision for what the surrendered life looks like: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
So how do we develop the fruits of the spirit in our own lives? How do we never give up, care more for others than ourselves, develop humility, patience, honesty, trust, etc.? How do we intentionally be present with Jesus in our everyday lives?
Today, we are going to be answering that question by diving into some practical tools that Christians have been using for centuries.
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The Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines
2. What are Spiritual Disciplines?
3. How do I Apply Disciplines in my life?
1. What is the Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines?
The purpose of Spiritual Disciplines is to provide practical tools that allow us to work with God in the transformation of our souls. The Life with God Bible says it this way, “Spiritual Disciplines involve doing what we can to receive from God the power to do what we cannot. And God graciously used this process to make us the kind of person who automatically will do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.”
Bingo!
Practicing Spiritual Disciplines are a crucial part of developing a deep and transformed life. The tools in and of themselves are nothing special, they are just that… tools. But they give us a super helpful and practical framework to work with the Holy Spirit. Spiritual Disciplines allow us, through God’s grace, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit, to take an active role in saying yes to work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
“A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain…This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines – they are a way of sowing to the Spirit… By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” -Richard Foster
The disciplines are not meant to be a rigid rule of life but as a grace-filled, Holy Spirit initiated practice that grows and changes throughout the season of your life.
2. What are Spiritual Disciplines?
So, what exactly are spiritual disciplines? Here is a list of inward, outward and corporate disciplines taken from Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline.
Inward Disciplines:
Prayer–with God not just at God
Fasting
Meditation
Study– Not just for information, but the transformation of your soul
Outward Disciplines:
Simplicity
Solitude
Submission
Service
Corporate Disciplines:
Confession
Worship
Guidance
3. How to Apply Spiritual Disciplines in Your Life?
We need to understand that participating in spiritual disciplines is a life long journey. It is not about instant transformation, but about learning to be present every day with God, in the ongoing transformation of our souls. It is not meant to be one more thing to do, but as a willing response born out of our love relationship with him.
“God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us.”Richard Foster
So how do you actually choose what discipline to practice in your life?
Here are some Suggestions for Getting Started:
- Ask yourself, what are you drawn to? What would practicing that discipline look like?
- Pray and ask God about what discipline to practice
- Start with one discipline at a time
- Operate out of grace. God loves you unconditionally and you don’t have to earn his love.
- You must be intentional. And it can (and will) be challenging.
- You are Not Alone! The ever-present God is with you.
- The practice will look different for everyone.
- The disciplines will change as you enter new seasons of life
Are you hungry and ready to experience a deeper life with God? Join our community of moms who are hungry for more Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their families.
Grab your free Deeper Life Beginners Guide (get it below) to help YOU get started on your journey to a thicker life with Jesus today!
What about you? What is your biggest challenge when it comes to practicing spiritual disciplines? Please feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!
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Reading Time: 6 min 4 sec
Do you ever feel like you are moving so fast that you can’t catch your breath? That if one more thing is put on your plate you are going to sit in a corner and cry? You miss your family, deep conversations with your spouse, and a break from ferrying the kids to different activities, and the endless routine tasks? You spend so much energy keeping all the balls in the air that it can feel like you are just running around in circles.
I will get a break, you laugh to your friends, when Tommy’s basketball season is over, when I complete this major project for work, when my daughter stops teething, when we take that vacation. It’s funny how postponing works, rest is so elusive, always in the future, always just out of reach.
You read the passage, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt. 11:28-30 MSG) and you have to laugh, because when have you ever lived freely and lightly?
In a culture that celebrates workaholism, rest can be seen as a weakness. We celebrate the “super mom” who can make that partnership at her firm while juggling the PTA, homework, children’s activities, homecooked meals, and perfectly clean bathrooms (come to my house, please), when that picture is just as unattainable as an airbrushed supermodel in a magazine. As a culture, we act shocked (and judgmental) when we discover that “super mom” is a myth.
Unlike the world who measures our worth by our accomplishments, and the number of activities we can juggle, God has another way.
Imagine God smiling softly on you and saying, “Listen, I love you. My love for you is beyond your comprehension. I love you so much that I don’t want you to implode. I designed your body to need rest, and the pace you are setting is not sustainable. Come with me… I have a plan already in place. I will show you a world of deep abiding rest, a place where you can learn what it means to live freely and lightly.”
So worn out, burned out, and tired mom, join us as we discover a life hack that could save your health, your relationships, and your faith.
1. What is Sabbath?
2. The Best Day of the Week
3. Practical Ideas for Your Sabbath
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What is Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a day where we set aside work, and activity to find abiding rest and delight in God’s presence. The Sabbath has been around from the beginning of time, though it has been observed on different days. And God from the very beginning acted as our model for how we should arrange our day to day lives.
In Genesis 2:2-4 it says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
God values rest, and He designed us as humans, not robots, who need rest in order to serve and live well. Eugene Peterson says that, “Sabbath is that uncluttered time and space in which we can distance ourselves from our own activities enough to see what God is doing.”
It’s hard to be present with anyone when our mind is traveling a million miles a minute, and we are trying to mentally juggle our schedule, worries, and responsibilities in our head. We learn that if we want to hear God’s voice, deepen our relationship with Him, and find deep soul rest from the demands of this life, we need to set aside time to rest and recharge.
Ruth Haley Barton in her book Sacred Rhythms describes the practice of Sabbath this way, “The point of Sabbath Is to honor our need for a sane rhythm of work and rest. It is to honor the body’s need for rest, the spirits need for replenishment, and the souls need to delight itself in God for God’s own sake. It begins with a willingness to acknowledge the limits of our humanness and take steps to live more graciously within the order of things.”
Observing the Sabbath is a very counter-cultural activity, a time when the world saying you don’t have time to relax; God is asking you to slow down and learn the rhythms of rest.
I would challenge you to set aside time, this week, to rest in God’s presence.
2. The Best Day of the Week
In the Sabbath, God is giving you not only permission but encouragement to play! The Sabbath should be the best day of your week! Seriously, it is a day when you get to set aside your to-do list, your worries, your dreams for the future, and just BE finding rest and delight in God’s presence.
You will accomplish more in your week as a rested individual than if you spend seven days a week and all of your energy at work. Wayne Mueller in his book, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest,says it poignantly, “If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath – our pneumonia, our cancer, our heart attack, our accidents create Sabbath for us.”
Taking a day of rest to realign your heart, and soul to Jesus is crucial to your (and your FAMILY’S) overall health. You are modeling sustainable practices that your children will take with them for the rest of their lives.
It’s a given that you will need to make some changes your schedule in order to make this happen. Creating a lifestyle, where you take off a day to recharg takes practice and effort. You can ease into it by making small changes each week. Know that it won’t be perfect, it will definitely be messy, but it will be worth it! 🙂
So, what does Sabbath look like in real life?
It will look different for everyone, but it should be the most anticipated day of the week. Sabbath is centered around worshipping Jesus in community, and time spent with family and friends. We plan a rotation of our favorite meals and prep them on Saturday. We have spent our Sundays taking walks, and naps, having quality conversations, playing games, participating in joy-filled hobbies, and time spent just being present with Jesus.
I would encourage you to walk slow, finding joy in being present with your loved ones and with God on this holy day.
3. Practical Ideas for Your Sabbath
Here is a list of practical ideas to jumpstart your own rhythm of Sabbath rest. Your day might look completely different from mine and that is okay!
1. Sleep In
2. Participate in Joy-Filled Hobbies
3. Feast Day- We eat our favorite meals and desserts on this day!
4. Worship God in Community
5. Reflection- Reflect over the past week, where did you see God’s presence at work. Reflect over the upcoming week, what worries or concerns do you need to give over to God?
6. Have each family member choose one thing to do on the Sabbath
7. Take a walk– By Yourself or with family- Notice God in the smallest things of creation.
8. Spend time with Family– Put down the cell phone, and be present for your family.
9. Read a good book
10. Enjoy Silence
11. Listen to Music
12. Invite over Friends and Family
13. Participate in Art– by yourself or with your family
14. Reflect over the week as a family– What was the highlight? Where did you see God at work? What are you looking forward to this upcoming week? What do you need to give over to God?
15. Take a nap
16. Light a candle- as a reminder that God is with you and in you
17. Play with your family– Board Games etc.
18. Start a specific tradition for the Sabbath
19. Take a break from Social Media
20. Take a break from shopping
21. Give Hugs
22. Speak words of Affirmation- over family and friends
23. Pray over the upcoming week
24. Spend time in God’s word
What about you? What are your favorite ways implement Sabbath in your own home?
Do you want more super practical tips on how to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus for yourself and your family? Most Important Work is all about helping moms LIKE YOU with tools, to nurture a lavish love of Jesus in your heart and in the lives of your children; through creativity, curiosity and everyday life.
Don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!
Want to Go Deeper? Here are 2 excellent books I recommend.
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The choice to establish your own sacred rhythm is the most important choice you can make with your life.
Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a “rule of life” that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines, this book takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideas for weaving them into everyday life.
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