“So where exactly did these ‘spiritual disciplines’ come from and what are they?,” you ask.

As Christians, we know the objective of our life. It’s about having our attitude shaped into the mind of Christ. “… have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had …” (Phil. 2:4) . It’s about making our actions reflect the habits of Jesus. “… follow the example of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1) We want to become “true worship” to God and so, we seek the “transformation” of our mind and the “living sacrifice” of our bodies (Rom. 12:1).

This faith in, and knowledge of, Jesus calls for us to pay very close attention to his life. Being his disciples, we drink in not only what he tells us to do, but we watch his every move, seeking to learn from his own practice of what he preached. We seek to lean on Jesus and learn from him daily for we know that while we may have good intentions, good intentions are only the first step down a very long road. What know we’ll need his very real, truly practical help just to put one foot in front of the over if we’re to ever make this journey with him.

Now even just a passing glance at how Jesus lived his life speaks volumes of how he lived it with purpose. However, it’s only when we zoom in and focus on the “framework” of his living that we begin to sense a real sense of rhythm, a rhythm shaped and undergirded by a life of discipline. After all, Jesus himself was constantly in learning mode, too, you recall. “Son though he was, he learned obedience …” (Heb. 5:8a) And so this question bubbles up to the surface, “What did Jesus do to assist his own learning of obedience?”

Looking at Christ’s life in this way is like viewing those cut-away sketches you’ve seen of anything complex, whether it be a human body, a building, a car, or a machine. Once a portion of the simple surface of things is peeled away to reveal what is underneath, we’re enabled to see the structures that provide support, hold everything together, and “makes the thing work.”

What is the source of “spiritual discipline?” Ultimately, a who, not a what. Jesus himself. In our next installment, we’ll look closely at some of Jesus’ habits and so, begin to see some of his disciplines revealed for our learning.