spiritual growth

Peter Edwards spoke yesterday on spiritual disciplines. I thought this built on my thoughts the other day regarding "muscle memory". Edwards outlined that growth comes through several sources. Among them, people (Pro 27.17), circumstances (stories of Jonah and Job), disciplines (Psa 1.1-2; 119.11; Dan 6.10; Neh 1.4). We then looked deeper at discipline (1 Tim 4.7-8).

Spiritual discipline is not:

• self-reformation (it is a gift from God)
• a short-cut to maturity
• an end to itself

Spiritual discipline is:

• an enabler for growth
• a way to enter God's presence
• a channel toward freedom

Richard Foster points out in Celebration of Discipline, "To know the mechanics does not mean that we are practicing the Disciplines. The Spiritual Disciplines are an inward and spiritual reality, and the inner attitude of the heart is far more crucial than the mechanics for coming into the reality of the spiritual life."

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