Week Seven: Review & Apply

Thank you for joining us on this exploration of the spiritual disciplines. As you employ these disciplines in your life, you will see how life giving they truly are! That’s not because these disciplines carry power themselves; it’s because each of the disciplines points us to Jesus. These are the tried and true ways to enjoy Christ. When we meditate and study Scripture, we see God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. When we live a simple life, we free ourselves to focus on the Lord. When we fast and observe the sabbath, we remind ourselves that our satisfaction is in Him. When we give and serve, we become more like Jesus.

All the spiritual disciplines we’ve talked about drive us to a deeper worship of God. In the truest sense, they are the tools we use to put into practice the New Testament’s exhortations to “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God . . . [and] set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1–2). Adding spiritual disciplines to our lives helps us to focus on Jesus and, in turn, start enjoying Him more and more. We choose to make God the object of all of our attention and affection, and we begin to walk in freedom and joy.

As you have journeyed with us, undoubtedly you have heard the Spirit’s voice. What is it that He has told you? As you’ve tried some of the disciplines, what have you learned? What was challenging? What surprised you? What drew you closer to the Lord? Write these thoughts down and spend some time in reflection and praise. Share them with a friend or spouse.

As you continue to grow in your relationship with Jesus, adding spiritual disciplines to your life will be faith enriching and life giving. And this opportunity will always be before you. Until you see Jesus face-to-face, there will still be room to grow and to learn and to enjoy Him more. The apostle Paul described the ongoing growth of faith like this:
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8-15)

Sisters, may we forget what is behind and press on toward Jesus. As we press into Him, we will find our perspectives on life transformed. We will begin to see that knowing, experiencing, and enjoying Christ is the only goal worth seeking.