Perseverance in the Disciplines (Connect Study for August 17)

The Discipline in Focus
“We must discipline our lives, but we must do so all the year around, and not merely at stated periods. I must discipline myself at all times” Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Think about how busy you are. Showering, Dressing, eating, getting kids ready (if you have kids), work, school, errands, homework, yard work, chores, cooking, cleaning, sports, band, church, committees, clubs, paying bills, balancing the checkbook, hobbies, and other things. You are busy yet the past two months you have been introduced to all these disciplines that you are encouraged to do. Where do they fit in?

A Godly person is a busy person. These disciplines are not meant for those Christians who have lots of spare time. They are the God-given means by which busy believers become like Christ. God’s voice can best be heard through these disciplines and God can speak directly to us concerning our priorities. These disciplines can be the way God helps lighten our loads. However you will always be busy. Make sure you read this: Without practicing the Spiritual Disciplines we will not be Godly. We must persevere in these disciplines. Everything you do is for eternity. We must persevere.

The Holy Spirit helps us persevere in the disciplines. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to produce within us the desire and power for the disciplines that leads us to Godliness. So whether or not your natural personality inclines you toward being disciplined the presence of the Holy Spirit within you equips you with a spirit of self-discipline so that you can obey the command to discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. Do not harden your hearts but respond to the Spirit’s promptings. Phil 1:6, 2 Tim 1:7, Gal. 5:23, Rom 8:26.

Fellowship with other believers helps us persevere in the disciplines. Change is a community project. Spiritual maturity includes growth in fellowship with other believers. Many of the disciplines cannot be practiced in isolation such as serving others, evangelism and public worship. We must share our personal lives with others and our spiritual lives with others. We must encourage each other in Christian living. 1 John 1:3, Eph 4:16, Heb 3:13.

There is a certain amount of fight and struggle a believer must have in order to persevere in the disciplines. Following Jesus is not easy. The spiritual disciplines will never be easy to do. There will always be difficulty. If you are waiting for it to get easier then do not hold your breath. Look up these verses that talk about our struggle. 1 Tim. 4:10, Col. 1:29, Gal 5:17, 1 Peter 5:8. We train hard to be Godly but we do not trust in our training to make us Godly. We trust in God to do the work of making us more like Christ. We continue to live and train by grace through faith in Jesus.

Scripture
All the previous verses mentioned and 2 Peter 1:6 and 1 Tim. 4:7-8.

Respond
1.How busy are you? What takes up a majority of your free time, if you have any?
2.What are you doing in your life right now that is so important that you consistently tell God, “I can’t pray or read your Word right now”?
3.What do you desire most for your life?
4.How does the Holy Spirit help us continue in the disciplines?
5.How can fellowship with other believers help us continue in the spiritual disciplines?
6.Are you a lazy believer or a warrior? Do you train yourself for godliness or are you a couch potato Christian?
7.Can you be Christ-like without practicing these disciplines? How or why not?
8.Where and when will you begin?