Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual Disciplines. The very words sound like something comparable to gym workouts. In some ways that is not a bad comparison. Why would someone go to a gym or try to exercise? You want to get healthy or stay healthy. Janie and I try to exercise 5 times a week. We have a routine that we follow that includes getting our heart rates up, lifting light weights and stretching. Some of the exercise is to correct problems we already have and others are to prevent issues in the future. So Monday through Friday we try to start our day with “physical discipline”. We also start the day with “spiritual disciplines”. We begin our day with Bible Study and prayer. We do it for some of the same reasons we do physical exercise: we are trying to correct some problems and trying to improve in other ways.

My current Sunday morning teaching series comes under the category of “Spiritual Disciplines”. In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” How do we build our lives, our families and our connection group and even our church on a solid foundation? We have talked about how living in the word and living the word brings blessing. This past week we looked at how we can learn to pray in faith. If you missed these and would care to hear them you can go to the podcast at the church website.

This coming Sunday we will be talking about the spiritual discipline of living in community. We really are better together. I have found one of the greatest sources of strength in my life comes from the small group I do life with. I am blessed with a great wife who is a source of spiritual encouragement. I love my family and all the joy they bring. I am also blessed beyond what my words can express for the small group that I meet with every week. These guys bless me, challenge me, encourage me, push me as we walk together. I am, without a doubt, a better husband, a better dad, a better pastor because of the time invested with these guys.

You know, walking on a treadmill or working on the elliptical may not seem all that effective. But it helps. We stay with the discipline of working out regularly. It helps. We need to fellowship together because it helps. It does make us better and helps us to grow and individuals and as believers. Need help connecting with a group? God has supplied us with a pastor whose full time job is to help you get connected. Call Pastor Scott at the office, 843-762-0244 or send him an email. He will be committed to help you connect.

I love being pastor of the church family known as James Island Baptist.

Pastor Tom