Jesus expects, even commands His disciples to fast and explains how to and how not to do it. Yet, fasting is probably one of the least practiced spiritual disciplines among Christians in America today. It is important to keep a proper view of God in mind when we look at spiritual disciplines. We must remember that God is sovereign and that fasting is not a means of manipulating God. Fasting is also not a way in which we gain favor from God. Our position with God as His children was accomplished by the person and work of Jesus, not our own doing…

When I say “meditation,” you probably think of a skinny guy with a white beard sitting cross-legged on a mountain peak saying “OMMMMMmmmmmmm…..”

Well, that’s not biblical meditation. Meditation, according to the Bible, is not emptying your mind, but filling it. Specifically, filling it with the truth of the Bible in such a way that prompts you to ponder. Consider. Ask questions. Chew. Imagine. Reflect. Repent. Rejoice. Worship…

You might be thinking, how in the world is serving a spiritual discipline? As Nate mentioned at the beginning of this series, spiritual disciplines are relational, things we do regularly to know God better.

So, how does serving grow our relationship with Him?

I’m glad you asked! God has given each of us gifts and talents for serving others and to bring Him glory. And He is a generous Giver, giving each of us many different talents…

“Follow your heart! Do what makes you happy!” Pithy advice, to be sure, and quite common in the twenty-first century. We’re often told by celebrities, social media, friends, and sometimes even family that the desires of our heart are sacred above all and not to be ignored.

And, on its surface, all of this sounds wonderful! As Americans, this independent spirit runs deeply through our psyche. Our country’s founding document even proclaims that we as American citizens have an inalienable right to “the pursuit of happiness”…

We’ve all heard Christ’s statement, recorded in the book of Acts, that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) And sometimes, in our more private thoughts, we’ve responded, “Well, that’s not been my experience.” Maybe we’ve misunderstood “blessed” and maybe we just disagree with Christ, Himself. (…a truly frightening thought!)

Well, if we read our Bible’s at all, there’s no doubt that giving is strongly encouraged in the Scriptures. And whenever we find ourselves questioning or disagreeing with something clearly taught in the Bible, we should hit pause. Even when we don’t understand all of the reasoning or purpose of some biblical commands, we need to stop and remember Who gave the command, and that should begin to settle the issue for us…

Spiritual Disciplines. The mere mention of the topic conjures up in our mind images of Nacho Libre wearing a drab gray wool smock, a horribly bad bowl haircut living in poverty, praying and repeatedly cooking beans for the good of the order. The conclusion, that is great for a select few, maybe, but is it what Scripture means when talking about spiritual disciplines?