Think of your spiritual health in the same way you think of your physical health:

How would you physically feel if you only ate TWO balanced, healthy meals a week? And then filled the other ~18 meals with junk food from a gas station?

Now, why do we so often only consume TWO healthy spiritual meals (Corporate Gathering on Sunday morning and a Community Group gathering) and expect to be spiritually healthy?

Our rallying cry for 2021: we practice the spiritual disciplines and we practice the spiritual gifts!

Here, we’ll do a four part series to define and describe both. You can find part one here. Part Two is a list of spiritual disciplines and brief comments on each one:

No Christian coasts into Christlikeness. Godliness, according to this text, requires training. Some Bible translations render “train” as “exercise” (KJV) or “discipline” (NASB). Thus, the biblical and practical ways in daily life of living out this command to “train yourself for godliness” have often been termed “spiritual exercises” or “spiritual disciplines.” What was true in Paul’s day is still true: it is by means of the spiritual disciplines found in Scripture that we are to pursue godliness.

It was this physical health, and spiritual growth, that led me to move my family to Fort Worth in 2019. I had been wanting to move for awhile, but during this time I felt the Spirit nudging me to make the move sooner than later. I was so excited about the new challenges ahead, but I never imagined how much my life would actually change.

In September of 2020 several leaders at Grace felt the same stirring from the Spirit. How can we fight against the never-ending stream of media that is discipling our people? Do we want Netflix, the news media, and Facebook to dwell richly in the hearts of God’s people? No! We want Colossians 3:16 to be true of us, “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts”.

Have you ever had someone confront you about a part of your life that you have never thought about, or even considered? I am not talking about a sin you have been hiding but a sin hidden even from yourself. Whether you have or haven’t, you are probably thinking, “no thank you.”

Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, is the Beloved of the Father, the Song of the angels, the Logic of creation, the great Mystery of godliness, the bottomless Spring of life, comfort and joy. We were made to find our satisfaction, our heart’s rest, in him. Quite simply, this book will be about enjoying him, reveling in his all-sufficiency for us, and considering all that he is: how he reveals such an unexpectedly kind God, how he makes, defines—how he is—the good news, and how he not only gives shape to but is himself the shape of the Christian life.

Self-empowered effort is: I am working for God’s favor. I am trying to change to earn God’s love.

Grace empowered effort is: I am working with God’s favor and with God’s help. Because of Jesus I am fully accepted by God. The Father is unchangeably for me because of Jesus.

I’d be lying if I said I’m completely healed. My body is still broken, I’m currently amid more health issues. My heart is still grieved, I cry a lot over those two babies I lost. But God has shown me many things during these trials. He has grown me immeasurably. He IS sovereign over my life. He IS Lord over our family. He is the HEALER of my body. He does see me. He has shown me that I cannot rely on my own strength. God and God alone sustains me. Only He can restore the brightness in my eyes.