Been rereading Richard Foster’s CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE and was challenged by this:
“Our ordinary method of dealing with ingrained sin is to launch a frontal attack. We rely on our willpower and determination. Whatever may be the issue for us – anger, fear, bitterness, gluttony, pride, lust, substance abuse – we determine never to do it again; we pray against it, fight against it, set our will against it. But the struggle is all in vain, and we find ourselves once again morally bankrupt, or, worse yet, so proud of our external righteousness that ‘whitened sepulchres’ is a mild description of our condition…In Colossians Paul lists some of the outward forms that people use to control sin: ‘touch not, taste not, handle not.’ He then adds that these things ‘have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship’ (Colossians 220-23) ‘Will worship’ – what a telling phrase, and how descriptive of so much of our lives! The moment we feel we can succeed and attain victory over sin by the strength of our will alone is the moment we are worshiping the will. Isn’t it ironic that Paul looks at our most strenuous efforts in the spiritual walk and calls the idolatry, ‘will worship’? Willpower will never succeed in dealing with the deeply ingrained habits of sin. Emmet Fox writes, ‘As soon as you resist mentally an undesirable or unwanted circumstance, you thereby endow it with more power – power which it will use against you, and you will have depleted your own resources to that exact extent.’ …When we despair of gaining inner transformation through human powers of will and determination, we are open to a wonderful new realization: inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received. The needed change within us is God’s work, not ours. The demand is for an inside job, and only God can work from the inside. We cannot attain or earn this righteousness of the Kingdom of God; it is a grace that is given…human striving IS insufficient and righteousness IS a gift from God…Happily there is something we can do. We do not need to be hung on the horns of the dilemma of either human works or idleness. God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving His grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us.”
Foster goes on to unpack the Disciplines in three main areas:
The INWARD Disciplines
*Meditation
*Prayer
*Fasting
*Study
The OUTWARD Disciplines
*Simplicity
*Solitude
*Submission
*Service
The CORPORATE Disciplines
*Confession
*Worship
*Guidance
*Celebration
I read this book back sometime during college or the year or two after that, but it has been opening my eyes afresh on this second read – maybe it has something to do with hitting 50?!! Scary – but actually really good – rich, in fact.
Having journeyed with Christ these last decades, I am finding this emphasis to be more what it’s about as it relates to following Jesus and deepening in intimacy with Him.
Praying that each of you CONTINUES to witness Christ being formed in you.
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