In July my husband and I attended Ravinia, an outdoor music pavilion in Chicagoland, with some friends. It was an idyllic summer evening with cicadas buzzing. The concert featured the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and South African Cellist Abel Selaocoe (pronounced Se-lau-chay) performing his cello concerto, Four Spirits, along with an incredible percussionist.
The entire experience was interactive. Selaocoe’s unique style utilized his gravelly vocals and his body as a percussion instrument, at times playing his cello standing up. He had the whole audience singing along in Sesotho while his percussionist, Chief Conductor Marin Alsop, a local high school choir, and the orchestra were integrated in the performance. He fused together classical music with traditional South African chords and rhythms. I have never experienced anything like it.
Who is Abel Selaocoe? Kyle MacMillan writes,
Selaocoe was born in the South African township of Sebokeng in 1992, two years before the brutal oppression of apartheid came to an end. Classical music was virtually non-existent there, but his older brother uncovered an outreach program in Soweto and began traveling the 30 or so miles there every weekend for lessons. “It was a very rare thing that they did. Nobody else ever does that in the township,” the cellist said.
Because he did not have access to an instrument at home, he initially practiced with a broomstick using a paper fingering chart. When the music school noticed his talent, they arranged for him to take lessons with Masoté, who provided him with his own cello. He demonstrated prodigious ability and won a scholarship to St John’s College. Today he plays in concerts around the globe and produces his own music. He plays with freedom and abandon. “My goal in my musical life,” he said from London, “is to take this instrument that I’ve learned from a very young age in a classical manner and connect it to where I’m from, allowing the culture of a stringed instrument like the cello or violin to evolve as it visits different cultural spaces.”
The freedom and abandon with which he performs do not happen by chance. It took a lot of hard work and discipline to become the innovative and prestigious cellist he is today. Imagine if he had been satisfied with playing on a broomstick and mimicking the sounds with his voice. He dreamed of what he could become, and then applied grit, determination, and discipline to get there. There were doubtless innumerable hours of practice honing his skills and creating muscle memory around the exact placement of the fingering since orchestral stringed instruments have no frets. No one in the CSO still has tape on the fingerboard of their instrument to guide them to perfect pitch—that is for beginners.
We celebrate discipline when applied to the arts or sports, but it is harder to see discipline in the same light in the Christian life.
The Case for Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual flourishing does not happen by accident. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, utilizing the gracious means God has given us—biblical spiritual disciplines—to develop and grow. This week Haven Today is featuring Donald Whitney’s book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. The foundation he builds upon throughout the book is 1 Timothy 4:7-8, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (NASB).
J.I. Packer writes in the foreword:
Although God will grant Christlikeness to us when Jesus returns, until then He intends for us to grow toward it. We aren’t merely to wait for holiness; we’re to pursue it. … It’s crucial—crucial—to understand that it’s not our pursuit of holiness that qualifies us to see the Lord. Rather, we are qualified to see the Lord by the Lord, not by good things we do. We cannot produce enough righteousness to impress God and gain admittance into heaven. Instead we can stand before God only in the righteousness that’s been earned by another, Jesus Christ.
Whitney explains, “If your purpose is godliness—and godliness is your purpose if you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, for He makes godliness your purpose—then how do you pursue that purpose? According to this verse, you ‘discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.’”
It takes discipline to live a distinctly Christian life; no one drifts into godliness. As I have interacted with Christians nearing the end of their lives, many express regret for their lack of intentionality. They wished they hadn’t been so angry, or spent so much time at work, or been so distracted when their kids needed help. “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Can any other investment give such a promising dividend?
I worked for Don Whitney as his church secretary in the early 90’s when this book was just published. It was my first job after graduating from Moody Bible Institute. My husband and I were involved in youth ministry and had dreams of being missionaries.
I observed firsthand Don’s pastoral heart and tender care for his congregation. You may have read his book, but I had the privilege of knowing the author when those truths were freshly written by his fountain pen. He didn’t just write about spiritual disciplines, he lived them. But he lived them with warmth and winsomeness, not harsh austerity.
One of my tasks was to print the church directory in compact form so that it would fit into his front blazer pocket. He literally carried their names close to his heart. He would take the list of names and walk the perimeter of the sanctuary praying for those dear saints. He disciplined himself to bring each person in the congregation to the Lord in prayer.
One of the criticisms I often hear about spiritual disciplines is that they seem like “works righteousness”—like I am trying to earn my salvation by them. But spiritual disciplines aren’t for the courtroom. When God justifies his children, he declares them righteous, or living in right relationship with him. This is a declaration by God, the judge, over you, the guilty one. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Christians live in right standing before God legally, but it is received only one way. This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22). We cannot earn righteousness.
Come to the Family Room
But Biblical spiritual disciplines aren’t experienced in the courtroom. Come with me to the family room where there is a crackling fire filling the room with its warmth and glow. Romans 8:15 says, “you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Your loving heavenly Father has given you multiple ways to know him. And the two most important are his Word and prayer.
If you want your life to be like the psalmist in Psalm 1—flourishing, fruitful, verdant—you must meditate on His Word day and night. Sit by its fire and be warmed. Allow it to bring light into the dark places in your life. The psalm ends, “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” He wants to guide us in it. So sink your roots down deep to find more and more living water in God’s Word. It can refresh your soul and give you the peace you yearn for.
Head to the Gym
Now let’s head to the gym. Reading Whitney’s book is like heading to a personal trainer. A coach presses people to achieve what they cannot envision for themselves. You work out in the gym to gain outward physical benefits, like a flatter stomach and muscular arms. They are an outward reflection of the health that you desire the exercises to work in you. You don’t just want to look good, you want to be healthy. You want the work out to also work in you.
Philippians 2:12-13 coaches us in this same way: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” God’s salvation is displayed outwardly in your life through the fruits of the Spirit—the one who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. He can help you to desire God (to will), but you are also a partner in the process (to work).
Though it is painful at times, it is also fruitful. Hebrews 12:11 says, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
How to Get Started
I have some suggestions as you consider Biblical spiritual disciplines. It is impossible to tackle all ten of the disciplines Whitney suggests at the same time. But as you read the book, ask the Lord to help you discern the first one or two steps you can take. Rather than looking at them with a pass/fail mentality (I failed at fasting, therefore I give up), think of them on a continuum. I can take steps toward deeper and more meaningful engagement with Scripture—perhaps through meditation or through memorization. And where there are ways to combine disciplines, do so! Take your Bible and prayer journal with you to your place of silence and solitude. See what turning off all the noise can open your ears to hear or your eyes to see in nature and in God’s Word.
Finally, is there something you are already doing that you can add some intentionality to include a spiritual discipline? For example, you may want to grow in evangelism. You may already be planning to watch a football game this weekend. Could you make a pot of chili and invite a neighbor over to watch the game with you? Beforehand you could ask the Lord to help you discern if there is a moment you could speak of the hope that is within you in Christ. A little intentionality and obedience to the Spirit’s prompting could help that person take a step closer to Christ. And you’d deepen your friendship with your neighbor, with great potential for future conversations.
Biblical spiritual disciplines don’t have to be dutiful or drudgery. Whitney writes, “One of the surest signs that someone does cling to Christ is his or her ever-deepening desire to know Him better and to become as much like Him as possible. This is what godliness is, and genuine disciples of Jesus passionately pursue it. Just as the only way to God is through Christ, so the only way to godliness is through the Christ-centered practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. Will you ‘discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness’? Where and when will you begin?”
About the Author
Kate Sunday has been a pastor’s wife and women’s Bible study leader in the western suburbs of Chicago for over thirty years. Her husband, David, is a teaching pastor at New Covenant Bible Church and President of WordPartners. She has three adult children and one sweet granddaughter. Kate is currently Assistant to David Wollen and a student at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, working on a Master of Arts in Ministry and Leadership.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
We aren’t meant to wait for holiness―we’re meant to pursue it. God commands Christians to actively “be holy,” but what does that look like in daily life? Rather than overwhelming legalism or loose boundaries, Don Whitney encourages us to find a practical middle ground through biblical habits.
Don Whitney’s convicting insight on spiritual disciplines will challenge you to grow in new ways as a Christian. Now updated and revised, this edition offers practical suggestions for cultivating spiritual growth, diving into practices such as absorbing Scripture, prayer, worship, service, silence and solitude, journaling, and more.
“Don Whitney’s spiritual feet are blessedly cemented in the wisdom of the Bible. This is as beneficial as it is solid. If you want to be really real with your God, this book provides practical help.”
―J. I. Packer, author and theologian
Regardless of where you are in your Christian walk, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life provides refreshing and profound encouragement for your spirit.
