Spiritual Disciplines

I typically give studying a bad rap because it takes time, discipline, and quite frankly, I don’t like the idea of reading for understanding. I’d much rather be talking with real people.

I’ve thought really hard about what it means to me to “study”.  There’s definitely more to it than just reading.  One thing that’s really fun about studying is how you can read something one time and it means nothing. Then, when you read it again, it means something so powerful it moves you.  I often try to interpret what the Bible says and apply it to my life before I even understand it.  So my first mission while reading ought to be determining what it actually says.  Only after I understand what it’s trying to say should I even attempt to ask what it means to me. I had heard of people going on personal spiritual retreats, but had never done one myself.  Preface to this story: I am in no way a Bible scholar or a mountain of spiritual knowledge.

This past weekend I spent two days at a monastery called the Abbey of Gethsemani.  By myself. No phone. No iPod. I had only my journal and the books Crazy Love, Fathered by God, and the Bible.  Over the course of a normal business day I probably send and receive over 100 emails, 100 texts, and spend upwards of 6 hours on the phone.  This Abbey was quite the contrast to my life. I was silent for two days.  I read intently, took notes, and prayed.

It’s so tough getting past your own sin to concentrate on the word of God when you’re in that intimate of a setting. I prayed and confessed to God on the drive there, and it was pretty relieving to feel that slide away as I read scripture. I wanted to give Him my time, not Satan. To combat the tendency to wander I had a separate sheet just to jot down stray thoughts and get them off my mind. While I read, I wrote down explanations of verses and thoughts of what they might mean.

It was a great experience, and I can’t wait to do it again.  Getting away from my apartment and Nashville was definitely instrumental in the whole process.  It was, however, difficult to commit and say I wasn’t going to all the happenings in town. Study has a whole new meaning to me now, and I’m so happy I was able to leave normal life, if only for a brief moment, to hear some of what the Word is trying to say to us today.

Being completely transparent, studying scripture is probably the one thing that I struggle with the most. And the truth is I have no excuse, I have a bible app on my phone so it is literally accessible to me everywhere I go. So why is it so hard for me to just open it up and read? The truth is I am still a very immature Christian and let laziness reign more often than discipline. Also, sometimes I just get overwhelmed. The bible is so stinking big that it sometimes discourages me. But as Sydney said in the last blog, it’s great to just take it a verse at a time if you have to. It’s actually very beneficial to do so in my opinion. Memorizing a verse a day can be very productive to your spirituality because it gives you a chance to meditate and dwell on the scripture at hand and actually apply it to your life.

Why read scripture and study? It’s funny how much of a ‘coincidence’ it is when I don’t spend time in God’s word one week and I encounter great doubt, lack of faith, and discouragement. But when I do spend regular time in God’s word for some strange reason I’m able to face each day with purpose and ambition. I know, crazy right? Romans 12:2 states, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” The bible isn’t a 2000 year old outdated document that dinosaurs read because they’re out of touch with reality. Rather we out of touch with God if we don’t spend time in his word because the bible is the LIVING, BREATHING word of God.

The other day I was talking to Dave about struggles of mine and spirituality in general and as we were talking I had this thought. So often I see “spiritual giants”, so to speak, that seem to have it all figured out. They’re in tune with God’s purpose. They derive exponential amounts of joy through doing God’s will. Everything they do produces fruit 10 fold what they have sewn. I see these people and think, “why can’t I have what they have?! This isn’t fair!” But then I realize that they have spent years, even decades, devoting countless time in prayer, studying, meditation, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines to get to where they are in their relationship with God.

If you’ve never worked hard or applied yourself in any way, would you take a drive down Tyne Boulevard and say, “that’s not fair that they have those nice houses and I don’t”. No. That would be childish. The truth is those people have worked very hard to provide nice homes for their families. The same is true with our spirituality. We have to spend time with God in prayer, meditation, and in his word. In doing so we are building our house upon a rock!

I would like to leave you with this thought. So often I get discoursed when things don’t go my way or I don’t feel God working in my life like I’d like him to. But then I remember that we were made to serve God, not the other way around, and I will serve him no matter what the outcome! I hope you guys have a great week!  God Bless!

Study/Reading might be one of my weakest points spiritually…well, right behind fasting from food.   This has been just the challenge I needed.  For me, making something a competition immediately makes it fun.  Dave and I have been challenging each other to memorize the scripture for the day.  It started out as just something to encourage one another with and suddenly with unspoken words, it became a competition.  Who could say it first?  Who could say it correctly?   Who could say where the passage was from?

What I didn’t realize is how having the scripture memorized by heart would affect my daily interactions with people and my thoughts throughout the day.  I would find myself saying it in my head without thinking about it.  This week I have really enjoyed reading small bits of scripture and just focusing on that thought throughout the day.  It seems much less daunting to tackle a verse or two rather than stay on track reading multiple chapters.  If I am in a group bible study I feel guilty if I get behind even by a day and then I dread reading for an hour to catch up.  I think I miss the point of the Bible study when that happens!  The brief snip-its of scripture allow me to memorize them and dwell on them during the day, both consciously and subconsciously.

The 30 days of scripture has reminded me of one of my favorite verses.  “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be”.  Matt 6:21
It is true.  Whatever you value or treasure, you usually spend time pouring over it.  If it is family that you treasure, then you spend time with them.   You think about them even when you are not with them.  I hope that scripture can become a treasure to me.  Something I think about even when I am not right there reading it.