If we want to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, there are some very basic things we must do. We often refer to these practices as spiritual disciplines. They are the core aspects of being a Christian and should be incorporated into our daily routines so we can follow Christ.
CRUCIAL BUT OVERLOOKED
Spiritual disciplines are created to help us live as God has designed us to live. For example, prayer allows us to commune with God and listen for His voice. Through prayer, we become more intimate with Him and more familiar with God’s heart. Because of prayer, we can bring God our struggles and ask for the wisdom and knowledge to follow His will. By studying God’s word we learn His truth and gain a greater understanding of His ways and will for our lives. Fasting, scripture memory, worship, solitude and silence, journaling, and meditation all are disciplines that help us get to the place in which we are able to live most fully as followers of Jesus Christ. One of the disciplines many people forget to put into practice enough is the practice of obedience.
The spiritual discipline of obedience is a critical and often overlooked discipline. To obey Jesus means there is always work to do. Learning more about God’s will and His ways is vital to our faith. Communing with Him in intimate fellowship is crucial, but a life of obedience is challenging. It is both a desired result of other spiritual disciplines and a discipline in itself. Obedience is the most critical component of a life faithful to Christ.
WHY SHOULD WE OBEY?
Here Jesus is saying that true discipleship is more than what we know or what we feel.
In John 14:21, Jesus says,
“He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.”
Jesus makes the point repeatedly as He said,
“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven,
but he who does the will of my Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
Jesus also asked the question,
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I say?” (Luke 6:46)
OBEDIENCE MATTERS
It is evident that Jesus placed a priority on obedience. It was not those who are hearers of the Word only, that are pleasing to God, but those who are doers of the Word according to the book of James. Obedience matters.
More often than not, we know what to do, and just don’t do it. This is where obedience must become a true discipline. As followers of Jesus, we must be disciplined in order to do the things we know to do, and to maintain our devotional life. We need to be disciplined to fast, to tithe, and to evangelize. God honors, blesses and is pleased by our obedience. As we grow in intimacy with God, as we commune with Him in prayer, as we learn from His word, and as we understand His heart and truth, we must commit to worshipping him through the discipline of Obedience.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.