Many of us have a vague sense that God wants us to be more like Jesus, but our “plan” for becoming like Him consists primarily of just trying harder to do what Jesus did… and feeling guilty when we fail.  God doesn’t intend us to experience this cycle of failure and guilt!  As we intentionally take more responsibility for our spiritual growth (see “What Is REP All About?“), there are spiritual practices in which we can engage that will help us grow closer to God and become the person He wants us to be.

Spiritual disciplines are like training or weight-lifting — for the spiritual life.  Just as a baseball player cannot hit a home run the first time he picks up a bat, we cannot expect immediately to respond with love when we are cursed (Luke 6:27-28) or consistently deny ourselves and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34-35).  A baseball player lifts weights and practices swinging so that he can bat well; we practice the sort of spiritual disciplines that Jesus practiced so that we can follow Him well.

Prayer, silence, solitude, celebration, listening, fellowship, service, fasting, study, and meditation are just some of the spiritual disciplines that Christians have practiced for thousands of years to bring them closer to God.  There are plenty of great resources available for learning more about spiritual disciplines.  As a starting point, check out The Reading Room at The Water’s Edge online or the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.  You can also email us at admin@aplacetoconnect.com or call the Christ Community Church office at 815-254-3800.