Blog - Do Not Depart

Find your beach

January 20, 2011 by ScriptureDig 11 Comments

I looked past the dunes and saw no one. All alone and amazed by it, I wondered if I was safe. I expected my family to emerge from the beach grass and ask what was for dinner. It was so strange to be so utterly … alone. I was tempted to feel empty and lonely. Instead, God overwhelmed me. I reveled in the chance to pray aloud, to lay in the sand and talk to the Lord, to sing with abandon, and to laugh in enjoyment of His creation and the truths He stirred in my mind. If anyone came to the beach, they must’ve left when they saw what they thought was a crazy woman. It was not loneliness. It was solitude.

Finding a deserted beach and hours to drink in the Lord is not common in our day. We must seek solitude. Jesus made a habit of going to a “lonely place apart” (Matt. 14:13). Seeking out a solitary place was essential to Jesus’ ministry to people. It’s easy to forge ahead with the “doing,” but even Jesus took time to recharge. The more filled our lives are with people, the more necessary it is to step aside to find refreshment.

The Discipline of Solitude allows us to:

Release our FEARS ~ Most of us resist being alone, seeking groups and people, instead. When we get alone, we exchange control for putting our TRUST in God. Kristi discussed the part trust plays in Submission yesterday. Getting alone forces us to trust God is sufficient to care for us. When faced with problems, our instinct is to answer, defend, explain … but silence is the response of a heart filled with trust, a heart strengthened in the garden of Solitude.

As we discipline ourselves to stop talking, we let God act for us as our Justifier. Letting go of our modern mindset, craving company and words, it seems natural to open our hands to display our trust in God, inviting Him to be our only Companion. When we risk being still, we discover God in a deeper way than while in motion (Psalm 46:10).

Replace our DISTRACTIONS ~ Instead of being swept away be life, Solitude requires the Spirit fruit of self control to be quiet with the Lord. Silence creates emotional and spiritual space. In following Jesus’ pattern of restructuring habits and priorities of mankind, we still the motion of our days. We exchange uncertainty about this life with confidence from being still and knowing He is God.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

Redeem our TIME ~ It’s not easy to find this place of solitude, but Foster encourages us that solitude is “more a state of mind and heart than it is a place.” Our minds settle on Him and experience peace that replenishes. Valuing the discipline of Solitude means we create opportunity to hear God and be refreshed by Him.

So where is this beach, so you can go there? God may have a different, better place to meet with you. Sometimes solitude must be captured when & where we least expect it. It can happen anywhere or time, when we redirect the focus of our hearts:

Instead of filling 10 minutes in the car line with a phone call, enjoy the solitude. Talk to God aloud or just concentrate on a scripture and be quiet with Him, as He works the Word into your mind.
Instead of using that corner chair to pile laundry, make it a special place for solitude.
Instead of looking at this weekend and filling it only w/cleaning & kids’ sports, carve out space for solitude. It could be the sweetest time of your weekend and the refill you need to approach next week.

Lost moments are reclaimed. Sacred places are created. Meaningful times are experienced.

Don’t apologize for being still or silent or embracing sweet solitude. Jesus found refreshing, so He could be a blessing to those around Him. Sweet things from the Lord await us on the beach!

Unexpected freedom

January 19, 2011 by ScriptureDig 8 Comments

Submission. The word chafes. The first occurrence we have of this word in Scripture is surprising. Challenging.

Genesis 16:9 – Then the angel of the LORD told her [Hagar], “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”

Hagar, young and afraid, alone in the desert. Her abdomen swollen with Abraham’s baby, a baby she never chose to have. Her mistress, Sarai, chose to use her as a baby factory and then sent her into the desert to fend for herself. An angel of the Lord appears to her and says… go back and submit.

Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

Oh, that one really hurts. No comment is even necessary.

Hebrews 13:17 – Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.

1 Peter 2:13-14^– Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Obey your leaders. Submit to the king, to the governors, to authorities instituted by men. The original audience who unsealed these words in a handwritten letter were facing vicious persecution. Unwarranted, undeserved, unjust. The divine message to them? Submit.

Why is submission so difficult for us to swallow? To submit to authorities, to submit to leaders, to submit to the government, to submit to our husbands?

In my own personal opinion, one of the root reasons we struggle with this is fear. Fear of having no voice. Fear of decisions being made for us that may not be in what we see as our best interest. We struggle and fight and chafe because our culture’s cry of “this is my right!” beats like a drum in our ears. If we don’t fight for our rights, we will lose them! We need to be independent, defiant, nobody-steps-on-me pillars of strength that no one will mess with. And we are terrified that if we give up this fight we will be in bondage to others forever.

The discipline of submission can be practiced only as we grapple on a deep and very personal level with the sovereignty and authority of our very good and very trustworthy God. I sometimes, often even, do not agree with the government which rules over me. But I am called to submit. I sometimes have not agreed with the authorities over me in my daily life – authorities at church, authorities at work, authorities at school. But I am called to submit. I sometimes do not agree with my husband. But I am called to submit. I sometimes chafe against those around me – but I am called to submit my will out of reverence for Christ.

Submission can be mistaken for bondage. But in this serve-to-become-great, last-is-first economy of God’s kingdom, submission brings us freedom. Freedom from the shouting to have our voice, freedom from kicking against every authority in our lives, freedom from fear.

If I really believe that my God is sovereign, if I really believe that my God is loving, if I really believe that my God is the one who sets up authorities and takes them down, if I really trust Him to be who He says He is, love me like He says He does, plan for my good as He promises to do, I am free. I am free to submit my will to those around me because my value and worth does not come from being heard and being recognized as the one who is right. I am free to voice my opinion respectfully and then obey my authorities because I know that my loving Father is the one who sets kings up and takes them down and holds each day of my life in His hands. I am free to submit to my husband without nagging, without frantically attempting to manipulate him into making the “right” decision; I know that as I rest my hand into the hand of my husband, the hand of our loving Father holds us both.

The discipline of submission – the discipline of choosing to yield my will and stop fighting, stop clamoring to be heard – is a discipline of trust. To the world it looks like bondage, but in the kingdom of God it is freedom.

Trust Him. Yield your will. Stop fighting. And be free.

This post is not intended to deal with abusive situations. TRI-R ministries has a booklet entitled “Submission: Are There Limits?” which you can order here.

They point out that Scriptural submission is voluntary, is ultimately done unto God, has limits, and allows for petition. Scriptural submission pictures the righteous relationship between Christ and the church.

Victimization is involuntary, is done in the fear of man, has no limits, and pictures Satan’s relationship with his subjects.

Codependency is a response learned as a means to feel needed and self-sacrificing. It allows women who fear petition and confrontation to avoid it. Based on fear and insecurity, it is pictured in the relationship of God and the wicked servant with one talent (Matt. 25:24-29)

If you feel that you are being victimized, or that you are in an unhealthy codependent relationship, please seek professional Christian counseling.

Laying Aside Every Weight

January 18, 2011 by ScriptureDig 8 Comments

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 ESV (emphasis added)

As we consider briefly the Discipline of Simplicity, I love using Hebrews 12:1 as a framework. We are called to lay aside every weight, the unnecessary, that keeps us from pursuing life in Christ unencumbered. And, as with so much of our spiritual life … this will look different for each of us.

The legalist in us wants to make this a list of what we must give up. No cable tv – check. No eating out – check. No big house – check. No new clothes – check. But simplicity is less about giving up materially and more about growing up spiritually.

The competitor in us would like to measure against someone else. I have less “stuff” than she does. We have family game night instead of going to the movies like “them.” But simplicity is not a competition with others rather it is a cooperation with God.

The attention-seeker in us is desperate for others to notice how “simple” our lives have become and how little we need to make us happy. But simplicity that is applauded by others is likely not celebrated by the Audience of One.

For some the call of Simplicity will involve decreasing material possessions. In fact, the abundance of this American Dream in which most of us live may well be the very thing that keeps us from experiencing the abundance of God. (For more on this idea I highly recommend reading Radical by David Platt.)

Richard Foster says this of simplicity in his book Celebration of Discipline:

Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us (84).

My “one word” for this year is simple … I have felt a deep longing for simplicity in my heart and life. Learning to understand what the Lord wants edited out of my life and being content in what remains … materially and otherwise. I’ve committed myself to laying aside every weight … allowing the Great Physician to remove the unnecessary from my heart, my mind, my possessions. And so, I write this post not as one who has by any means mastered this Discipline but from a longing to grow in it and experience the deep contentment that comes through it.

Is the Discipline of Simplicity challenging to you? This week, commit to memory Hebrews 12:1 and ask the Lord what is weighing you down … then agree with Him about the need to eliminate those weights.

{Tomorrow I’m beginning a study of what Foster terms the “ten controlling principles for the outward expression of simplicity” on my blog. If you want to dig deeper into this Discipline, please feel free to join me for the next ten Wednesdays as we explore one each week.}

The Outward Disciplines

January 17, 2011 by ScriptureDig 5 Comments

Simplicity.

Solitude.

Submission.

Service.

The outward disciplines. So termed because they are easily seen by others.

Last week we examined the inward disciplines, those habits and practices that lay a solid foundation for our pursuit of deeper intimacy with the Lord. As we invest ourselves into those disciplines that are inward the results will often be evident in the disciplines that are outward.

Which of these outward disciplines are you most challenged by? Why?

The Discipline of Studying

January 14, 2011 by ScriptureDig 7 Comments

Do you find it difficult to study the Word of God? Many people do. Some, because they aren’t sure where to begin, others because it seems too daunting or they think they have to develop the same study patterns as someone else – while still others struggle with the discipline necessary to make it a part of their daily walk.

But if we really understood the power of the Word of God and the benefits that are ours when we invest time in it, it would become more than a spiritual discipline, it would become as necessary to us eating. Job said, “I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” Job 23:12

Let’s look at “why” before we look at “how.” Perhaps then we will more readily make Bible study a part of our daily spiritual disciplines.

We study the Word of God because:

The Word of God is Living, Powerful & a Discerner of Our Intents and Our Hearts:

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The fact that the Word of God is living means it can actively speak to us where we are – not matter what we are going through -God’s Word can speak to our hearts and give direction to our lives. When we place our thoughts and actions under the microscope of the Word of God, it discerns the intention of what we think and do.

The Word of God Gives Direction:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

As Christians, we aren’t left here on the planet to try to figure out how to do this thing called life on our own. God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to define and direct our lives. When we exercise the spiritual discipline of studying the Word of God we avail ourselves of the light we need for the next step and the next decision. God’s Word sheds light on our circumstances.

The Word of God Keeps Us From Sin:

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11

Sin is not as attractive or as powerful to a woman who has spent time filling her heart and mind with the Word of God. Dwight L. Moody once said, “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” The choice is ours.

The Word of God Strengthens Our Faith:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

Oftentimes, we struggle with life as we know it because we don’t really have the faith necessary to sustain us through difficult days, painful circumstances or trying times. Sometimes, we aren’t sure we can step out in obedience to do what God calls us to because it’s beyond us – more than we think we can handle – or perhaps we think it will cost us more than we’re willing to pay. When we spend time in the Word, it strengthens our faith. It enables us to see our circumstances through the eyes of faith and it gives us the courage to act on it.

The Word of God Helps Us Know the Living God More:

“And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.” 2 Chronicles 31:21

Hezekiah made serving God, knowing and obeying the Word of God and seeking God the priority of his life. God’s Word reveals who God is. Through it, we know Him better, we know how He calls us to live, we are shown what to run to and what to run from. Like Hezekiah, we need to seek God with all of our hearts.

The study of God’s Word is a discipline that benefits us greatly. It grounds us, teaches us, challenges us, directs us and protects us. It gives us wisdom, peace and power – strength, faith and courage. It comforts our hurting hearts and brings clarity to a confusing world. Like Job, we need it more than we need food.

How Do We Study the Word of God?

There are a variety of Bible study plans available, but I’d like to give you a five-step approach to the discipline of studying the Word of God.

1. Define Your Time & Place – Although some spiritual disciplines come more easily for some than others, studying, by its very nature, requires discipline. If you don’t have a time and place, your day slips away and before you know it, your head has hit the pillow and you haven’t even opened the Word of God.

2. Have a Plan – Whether you’re planning on reading through the Bible in a year, two years or three months, have a plan that takes you through the Word of God. Give yourself enough time to not just read it but study it. Research what you don’t know or topics that may deal with your circumstances. Do word searches, topic studies or choose to study a specific book of the Bible. But whatever you do, have a plan.

3. Consider the Context – Context is key. It’s important to know who the Scripture is addressing, why, what were the historical and cultural circumstances and how can it be biblically and accurately applied in our lives.

4. What Is It Saying – Based on the context in which it was written, what is it saying?

5. What Is It Saying to Me & How Can I Apply It – As you study the Word of God, it’s important to remember it’s living. That it’s the primary way God speaks to us. So, ask yourself, what it is saying and how you can apply what it is saying to your life.

The discipline of studying God’s Word is different than the discipline of reading God’s Word. This is your time to dig deeper. You may want to add additional tools for your excavation of the Word. Tools like commentaries, concordances, biblical dictionaries and lexicons.

If you need some additional resources, you can click on the “Resources and References” link at the top of the page or the “Time in the Word” link in the Resources column on the right hand side of the page. You can also click here and read a great post by Teri Lynne on our goals for being in the Word.

As we start this new year digging the disciplines, please remember, the discipline of studying God’s Word will benefit you more than food, itself!

Do you struggle with the discipline of studying? What are you studying? How do you study the Bible?

The Hunger of the Soul

January 13, 2011 by ScriptureDig 11 Comments

What controls your heart? As human beings, we long for our appetites to be filled. We long to fill our stomachs, we long to be loved, we long for physical intimacy, we long for satisfaction and a feeling of peace; the list is long.

Since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden, Satan has worked in the life of every man and woman to tempt us, to call us to fulfill legitimate needs and desires God Himself placed in our hearts in illegitimate ways. For some this might simply be an unhealthy habit, and for others these things show themselves as full blown addictions.

Some long for satisfaction; they begin to use food as their drug of choice, numbing their pain or loneliness with so-called “comfort food.”
Some long for love and affirmation; they develop unhealthy and inappropriate relationships, or become addicted to the illusion of fame and influence within the world of social media.
Some long to be known, to be appreciated, to be valued, to be touched; they begin to use their bodies to try to win the long-sought love of another person.

Addictions of all kinds are powerful. They temporarily mask the deep hunger of our souls but leave us empty and wanting more. Perhaps neither you nor I have been labeled an “addict,” but I believe we’ve all been there on some level. Our hearts were hungry, and we attempted to fill that need with food, with shopping, with relationships, with chocolate or caffeine… when all along that hunger was meant to point us to the arms of the Father.

Fasting is a powerful form of personal worship that can loosen the bonds we have to these false sources of satisfaction. Fasting is not a dictated, regulated aspect within the New Covenant under Christ – it is a personal act of celebration within our walk with Him, an outgrowth of a desire to grow closer, commune deeper, to walk humbly with our God. It is a time when we focus on filling the deepest longings of our hearts from Him alone.

I appreciate that in his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster carefully points out that fasting is never commanded in the Bible. However, Jesus’ words of instruction for “when you fast…” (Matthew 6:16) simply assume that we will! In addition, in Matthew 9:15 Jesus answers criticism against his disciples not fasting by saying, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

Foster states, “There is no way to escape the force of Jesus’ words in this passage. He made it clear that he expected his disciples to fast after he was gone. Although the words are not couched in the form of a command, that is only a semantic technicality. It is clear from this passage that Christ both upheld the Discipline of fasting and anticipated that his followers would do it.” (54)

There are many different kinds of fasts. You may have heard of people fasting from everything from media to carbohydrates to fasting from solid foods. If you are new to fasting and not sure where to start, I’d suggest that you think about where you turn when you’re uncomfortable.

If you’re having a rough day, what do you do?

Do you have “comfort foods” that you turn to?
Do you turn to facebook or twitter to share your frustrations with others online?
Do you pick up the phone to call someone?
Do you turn on the TV or radio as a distraction?
Do you go shopping?

Rather than turning to the Lord at our weakest, most vulnerable moments, do we stuff down our emotions or conviction with food, entertainment, socialization, noise? How often do we fail to hear Him, fail to receive all that He offers us, because we have settled for a cheap substitute – an idol?

Fasting quiets the noise, the distraction, the cheap substitutes and allows us to learn how to “find rest, O my soul, in God alone.”

A few warnings:

1. DO NOT MAKE THIS LEGALISTIC. You might feel led to give up TV or perhaps fast from food for a set amount of time – and your spouse or friend may not. That doesn’t mean they are less spiritual. You seek the Lord. You prayerfully search your heart. And you ask the Lord: “how can I grow closer to You, commune deeper with You, walk humbly with You?”

2. Fasting is primarily a form of personal worship. While there are times in Scripture when a group or a nation seeks the Lord together in times of corporate fasting and prayer, Jesus warns us in Matthew 6 against making a public spectacle of our fasting.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18, NIV)

If we are offering our times of fasting to the Lord as a personal act of worship, we should not feel the need to discuss this with others online, announce it or make it obvious to others when we are gathered together socially, or “recruit” others to join us. Even if we are looking for accountability, this should be done quietly and modestly.

3. Fasting is hard and will bring to light ugly and hidden parts of your heart. When we take away those “bandaids” of temporary relief and comfort, however shallow, we find our emotions and frustrations raw with nothing to stuff them down with. Those times of struggle are good if we allow them to drive us to God’s throne. Immerse yourself in prayer, in Scripture, in times of worship and resist the urge to find a new “bandaid!”

Have you found yourself turning to something other than God to fulfill legitimate needs? Have you fasted from those things in the past? How did the fast benefit your spiritual life?

Silence Is Not Prayer

January 12, 2011 by ScriptureDig 10 Comments

You can tell what subjects people are passionate about by looking at their books. If you come over and look at my shelf, you will see book after book on prayer. Some of my favorites include The Complete Works of EM Bounds on Prayer, How to Pray by Ronnie Floyd, All the Prayers of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer, and A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. You would think after reading all those books on prayer, I’d be an expert. But unfortunately, it’s just the opposite. I read all those books on prayer because I feel so inadequate. And my feelings of inadequacy have led to periods of prayerlessness in my life. But in the last year or so I’ve had some “ah-ha” moments in my prayer life. Realizations that changed my heart.

First, I pray more. In the words of EM Bounds, “Silence is not prayer.” He goes on to write, “Prayer is asking God for something which we have not, which we desire, and which he has promised to give us in answer to prayer. Prayer is really verbally asking. Words are in prayer. Strong words and true words are found in prayer. Desires in prayer are put in words. The praying one is a pleader.” My passive prayers like “Dear God, please bless so and so…” weren’t going to cut it anymore. If I wanted to feel the power of prayer, the power that changes hearts and lives and circumstances, I would need to realize the power of my words, and use more of them more often.

Second, I pray Scripture. Part of my struggle with prayer was that I felt like it was my will versus God’s will, and I know God’s will always win. So why pray? Well, the quickest and best answer is that we pray because we are commanded to pray. We’re even told to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). So to get over feeling like it was my will vs. God’s will, I put myself on God’s team. I do this using prayer cards. I write names or areas of prayer on index cards and list Scripture verses that apply. For example, I have the names of family members who need salvation, and I pray Romans 10:1 for them, “my heart’s desires and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” For families I know who are adopting I pray, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised” (Heb. 10:36). For myself I pray, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3). Praying Scripture for people and situations helps me know I’m praying God’s will for them!

Third, I give myself grace. Apart from the focused prayer time I have with my prayer cards, I’ve tried to just relax and let prayer happen. In A Praying Life by Paul Miller writes, “Jesus did not say, ‘Come to me, all you who have learned how to concentrate in prayer, whose minds no longer wander, and I will give you rest.’ No, Jesus opens his arms to his needy children and says, ‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28, NASB). The criteria for coming to Jesus is weariness. Come overwhelmed with life. Come with your wandering mind. Come messy” (31-32). I come to prayer like a child–not perfect with all the right words in the perfect posture, but trusting, dependent, and desperate.

My prayer life is certainly an area of potential growth, but God has taught me a lot in the last year. What has God taught you about prayer recently? What works for you in the spiritual discipline of prayer?

Of Baking and Blessing ~ Meditation

January 11, 2011 by ScriptureDig 11 Comments

In the first issue of 2011, USA Today reported 90% of the world has access to mobile networks, and 1.8 trillion text messages were sent between June 2009 and June 2010. Mankind has learned to stay tethered to thoughts and topics at the sound of a ring tone or ping. We focus on what’s trending, respond on Facebook, Tweet about it, and check back for comments. But meditation as a Biblical, spiritual discipline is nothing like the mindset of our culture. The concentration of our culture is captive to the here and now, instead of the holy.

The Barna Group recently released a study about the faith climate in the US, reporting, “The turbo-charged pace of society leaves people with little time for reflection. The deeper thinking that occurs typically relates to economic concerns or relational pressures. Spiritual practices like contemplation, solitude, silence, and simplicity are rare.”

To know what Biblical meditation IS, it helps to know what it’s NOT:

It is NOT empty. God’s Word is the object.
It is NOT extra Biblical. God’s Law produces obedience.
IT is NOT an escape. God’s peace and compassion prevail.

Meditation is foreign to the way we do life today. While making bread yesterday, I had to let the yeast work, wait for growth, let the dough rise, and labor for the elasticity of dough ready to bake. Homemade bread is a whole different food than store bought. It can’t be rushed. Meditation takes time to listen, reflect, rehearse, and rework God’s truth in our lives, kneading it into our souls and allowing it to grow and live in our minds and hearts.

Meditation requires:

A change of pace – slowing down to allow space and opportunity to consider and reconsider God’s truth and hear His voice.
An intentional place – carving out an undisturbed corner, where we push aside the urgent and give attention to the Divine.
A humble posture – helping us to get into the mindset of the forgiven and the rescued, to worship the Object of our thoughts.
A clear path – instead of wandering or floundering, going to God’s Word that is the lamp to our feet and the light to our path.
An attitude of prayer – sweet communication flows out of unbothered moments of absorbing God’s truth and grace, and we can respond to Him in praise and honesty.

The New Age movement gave meditation a bad name among many, but Scripture gives a clear pattern of meditation filled with the One True God, not empty and vulnerable to the Enemy. Jesus went away to be alone and communicate with His Father (Matt. 14:13), and Old Testament saints set a precedent of making time to listen to God.

A pace and place for the posture of meditation is going to be hard to carve out, but our hearts can be that holy place. When we commit to practicing this inner discipline, we can look forward to the protection and peace enjoyed by one who is “blessed.”

¹ Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, ² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. ³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. ~ Psalm 1:1-3

One way to meditate today: (I suggest Psalm 1:1-3)

Take one Scripture verse and “tether” yourself to it: write it on a card, say it aloud every time you wash your hands, look up every word in the dictionary, talk about it out loud in the car, tell someone else about it today, pray it back to the Lord, email someone what it means to you, sing it as you work, and find a quiet place to slow your pace long enough to be alone and rehearse that truth in your mind and heart. Let God work out that one truth in your soul, let it froth with new insight, let is rise with understanding, and let it bring the aroma of something new and fresh and wonderful that only the Blessed Woman who meditates on His truth will enjoy!

What’s Inside?

January 10, 2011 by ScriptureDig 10 Comments

First, may we thank you all for your gracious response to the posts last week? This past week we averaged 200 readers per day {not including the 250+ of who you receive our posts daily in a reader or by email} … a new record for our site. We have been so encouraged by your comments and interest in the Spiritual Disciplines and hope we can offer you information and insight that will be an encouragement back to you as invest time in growth through these long-honored methods.

As we launch into the specifics of the different disciplines, we begin with what Richard Foster calls “The Inward Disciplines.” These four practices, while they may also be done publicly, are most effectively used in our own prayer closet and times of private time with the Lord.

And so, as we spend this week exploring meditation, prayer, fasting, and study, our earnest desire is to encourage you to be intentional in each of these areas, equip you with a solid foundation of what Scripture says about each, and empower you with tools and exercises to put each into practice.

Which of these four inward disciplines comes most easily to you? Which is the biggest challenge? Why do you think that is the case?

Want to Dig Even Deeper?

January 7, 2011 by ScriptureDig 13 Comments

There are so many incredible books about the spiritual disciplines. Obviously, I am a huge fan of Foster’s Celebration of Discipline; but, I’d be remiss not to share with you several other books that have helped me grow in my understanding of the purpose and practice of the disciplines.

With only one month to cover such a vast expanse of information, we will be giving you just an overview of each discipline but perhaps these brief introductions will pique your interest and you’ll want to dig even deeper on your own. If so, these are some of the books I highly recommend.

Intimate Faith: A Woman’s Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines by Jan Winebrenner
Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot
Spiritual Disciplines Bible Studies by Jan Johnson {Perfect for individual or small group study. Each book covers two of the disciplines.}
Into the Depths by Calvin Miller
Authentic Faith by Gary Thomas

On Monday we had some other book recommendations by one of our readers {Thanks, Ashley!}. So, here are those books as well:

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard {I love this book and recommend anything written by Willard!}

I also encourage you to read the works of writers such as St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and Madame Guyon.

Any books you’d add to this list?