“Interestingly, by intentionally practicing spiritual disciplines, my relationship with Jesus has become more spontaneous.”
Dallas Willard
Sounds like an oxymoron!
Can you relate? The more you do a certain thing, the better you can respond in the moment. Especially through regular, disciplined practice.
For example, I ride mountain bikes. 30+ years ago when I first started riding, I learned the importance of looking forward vs. looking down, leaning into turns instead of slowing down, and the keys to good balance. Now I am much more able to remain in the moment, anticipate obstacles ahead, and leverage my momentum. The discipline of riding over 8,000 miles and climbing over 100,000 feet since 2016 (which is when I began logging miles on Strava) has contributed to my ability to become more agile, responsive, and spontaneous on the trails.
Practicing spiritual disciplines works in a similar manner. The more hours you put in, the more familiar you become to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit – until His voice becomes the dominant voice you hear, listen to, and obey. This is the goal of Christian spiritual formation.
At the bottom of this blog is a challenge for Week 2 of Lent!
Before you go there, let’s focus on three common disciplines during Lent:
- Sabbath Rest: Take time to disconnect and recharge.
- Silence: Find moments of quiet to listen to God.
- Fasting: Explore how less can lead to more.
What are the benefits?
- Sabbath Rest: You feel more alive.
- Silence: You will discover new opportunities to engage with Jesus throughout the day.
- Fasting: You will cleanse your body of impurities that clutter your heart and mind.
How does discipline lead to spontaneity?
Great question! Discipline feeds new habits. New habits feed new behaviors. New behaviors feed creative responses. Spiritual formation works the same way.
What difference does it make?
Another great question! I believe there is a correlation between spiritual formation and ministry fruit. The disciplines I have engaged with and practiced alongside my ministry development gives me the ability to discover creative solutions, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
What does that look like?
I have a project that I am working on with a team that involves a disciple-making and leader development process. We have clarified the vision of when we know we have been successful, then worked backwards, breaking down the problem into manageable pieces. Now that we have the manageable pieces, we can address each one, one-by-one, making adjustments as necessary.
Lent Challenge – Week 2 of Lent!
As we journey through the weeks leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and eventual resurrection, I will draw from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The exercises have helped me and many, many others throughout church history to listen to and discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, especially when discerning direction.
I invite you to consider the “grace” (or “prayer of intent”) for this week:
“The grace you are seeking is to sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, with tears and interior suffering because of the suffering Christ endured for you.”
St. Ignatius (1491-1556)
Perhaps you read through the following passages on this schedule beginning next Monday:
- Day 1 – Matthew 26:36-41
- Day 2 – Luke 22: 39-44
- Day 3 – Matthew 26:47-54
- Day 4 – Review the past three days.
- Day 5 – Matthew 26:55-56
- Day 6 – John 18:12-27
- Day 7 – Review the past week.
* Journey with Jesus by Larry Warner
The invitation the Lord presents to you, is unique to you. If you are reading this blog, chances are you are searching. Chances are you want a change. Chances are you are desiring a different outcome. If so, the Lord’s invitation might be for you to engage differently than you have in the past. Take courage! He desires more and more of you. He is not passively waiting; He desires to connect with you. He is urging you to take the next step.
Photo by Omar Gattis on Unsplash
