Day 31: The Joy of Discipline

Week 5, Wednesday, February 3

Text: Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Thought for the day:
When God gave us the Ten Commandments, He included one that is difficult for us to understand in our world today. He told His people to take a day of rest, to set aside time for the purpose of worshipping Him. He wanted His people to acknowledge His presence by giving Him time and space, so that He could shape them according to His plans.

For the past month, you have been practicing spiritual disciplines by setting aside time at regular intervals to focus on God’s work in your life and in the world around you. Today, I want you to consider how you can continue developing these habits for the remainder of the year.

Journal/Exercise:
Look back in your journal to Day 3. On that day, you were challenged to pray about God’s Kingdom, and to write down some way you believed God wanted you to serve Him in His Kingdom. Do you still believe God wants you to serve Him in that way? God has searched you and knows you, better than you know yourself. Pray that He will lead you as you strive to follow Him. Pray that He will guide you in a life of developing habits to spend time in prayer with Him, and pray that He will teach you how to continue pursuing Him.

Over the next few days, I will post some ideas for practicing spiritual disciplines. Take a few moments in the next few days to decide which ideas you will want to put into practice. Please do not think that the list I post will be exhaustive. You know yourself better than I do, so be creative in thinking of ways you can develop habits to focus your attention on Christ’s work in your life. Write down in your journal some ways you will want to develop these habits.