Question:
What is the role of spiritual discipline in the daily worship of a believer? You have said that worship is not a checklist of "spiritual things to do" like reading the Bible or going to church... but it is a way of life that encompasses everything that we do. You have also said that worship naturally flows out of our response to God's glory. However, if I only do what comes "naturally", I don't really feel like reading the Bible or praying. I really struggle with this. What is the role of using "discipline" to ensure that I do these things?
Answer: Part 1 - we are saved, and we are being saved. We are transformed, and we are being transformed. We live in the "now but not yet"
Our story of worship starts in Genesis. When God told Adam to "take care" of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:15), the Hebrew word "take care" of the garden is the same word as that which was used to describe what the Levites did to take care of the Tabernacle and the Temple. It is a word which comes from the root word for worship. So, God's command to Adam was to worship in the garden. Worship - being a reverential, devoted service to God, was what Adam was created to do. And it would have brought him great joy, because he was fulfilling his life's purpose. Have you ever felt like you were created for great and wonderful purposes? Adam was living his great and wonderful purpose.
When Adam fell into sin, he could no longer worship. He could no longer fulfill his great and wonderful purpose. What was previously a joy to him has now become bitter toil (Gen 3:17-19). He could no longer worship God properly - he was now distracted by everything. He tries to fulfill his great and wonderful life's purpose by worship - but he worships idols instead. (Romans 1:22 describes all humanity, Adam included)
I say this, because I want you to understand where you were created to be - in the Garden of Eden, where worship is both your command as well as your great joy, where every cell of your body moved in worship and you didn't need to "discipline" yourself to do it.
We know that Christ saved us from our sins. But not only that, Christ came to reveal God's glory to us (Heb 1:3), and to bring you to God (1 Pe 3:18). And, not only that, He didn't leave us as lonely orphans to muddle our way through life, but instead gives us God Himself, the Holy Spirit, as a deposit (2 Cor 1:22). The Holy Spirit breathes new life into us (Rom 8:10), empowers us (Rom 15:19), guides us, teaches us (John 14:26), and even prays for us if we have not the words ourselves (Rom 8:26).
This, my friend, is the reality that you live in. Christ has revealed himself to you, and you have become His follower. Not only that, the Holy Spirit is God Himself with you, continuing to reveal God's glory to you so that we know Him better (Eph 1:17). I say this with affirmation because I have seen it at work in your life, and have faith that it is so. In Christ you have been made righteous, and he continues to work on you and with you to make you more and more righteous, more and more like what He has created you to be, closer and closer to getting back to that wonderful state in Eden when you could worship without need for discipline.
Your failures may feel disheartening now, but if you look back, I think you will see His work in your life. You know God so much more than you did this time last year, and worship more spontaneously and joyfully in your day-to-day life. Even more so if you compare to five years ago.
But if you yearn to finally, truly have your distractions and killed off, and worship perfectly - then know that it has been promised to you. One day we will truly see God face to face, we will see Him as he is, and this ultimate revelation will make us to be like Him (1 John 3:2-3). We will worship with God as our light, with no need for the sun or the moon - and we will all walk in the light of God (Rev 21:22-24). This is promised to you: take heart, have faith, and keep walking by the Spirit.
However, I imagine I have not answered your question fully. Because I still haven't answered the question of whether you should be using "discipline" to make yourself read the Bible, pray, serve, etc.
Let's say you take your girlfriend to a seafood picnic on the beach. It would be wrong to say that you're just there to eat some prawns - because you would never sit on a beach by yourself, on a picnic blanket, eating prawns. Even though you love the beach and you love prawns. Instead, the focus is the girl, and the shared experience with her. Her pretty face, bashful giggle, holding hands, maybe a kiss - that's what makes the experience worthwhile. A guy sitting on the beach eating prawns by himself is sad and maybe a bit creepy. A couple sitting on the beach doing the same thing is romantic. But don't you see? She is what makes the experience wonderful. If you didn't like the girl, the whole experience is wearisome and burdensome.
(By the way, if you haven't done so already - do it. My husband and I could tell you where to buy the seafood. She'll be yours forever. You can thank me by naming your firstborn after me.)
The same with our worship. Worship becomes easy when we are already justified by God, we are already loved by Him, and we're just doing it out of joy. Not only that, the focus of the devotions is not the act of doing them (just like the focus of your date isn't the seafood) - the devotions are merely a conduit. The true focus is God, and his glory.
If a married couple tell me that it was becoming a struggle to spend time together, and their "date nights" have become dull and routine, then I would perhaps ask them to reflect on why this is. Has something caused this rift? Have they been distracted by work, children, finances? Similarly, I would perhaps firstly ask you to consider the same. What is happening to your worship? What are you worshiping? Is there some unconfessed idolatry? You will, of course, need to seek the Holy Spirit's help to deal with this.
Secondly, as I said, worship is easy when we are already justified by God and our worship flows out of that. But is this the reason for your worship? Or are you trying to justify yourself through your worship? Checking off a list of daily devotional activities to satisfy yourself that you've done your "quota" for the day? I used to think this way. And it's often quite bereft of joy - and burdensome.
Thirdly - worship is easy when you're captivated by God's glory. Reading the Bible reveals his love story, and we're excited to read it! If we don't have time we feel frustrated! Like King David, we will say, "Oh we love your laws, we meditate on it day and night!" (Ps 119:97). Prayer draws us closer to God in a personal way, and we truly pray continually, unceasingly (1 Th 5:16). Our passion for the gospel will compel us such that we "cannot help speaking of what we have seen and heard"! (Acts 4:20). Who needs discipline to learn more about Christ when you are itching and yearning to do it? Discipline and timetables are for little school boys. You will worship like a Prince - a son of the King.
To worship like that is something closer to God's heart. But to worship like that, your heart must be captivated, captured, and raptured by the gospel. The Lord is a consuming fire, and you must be consumed.
I would encourage you to reflect on God's glory as revealed in Christ and the gospel. Lay down everything to find this precious pearl (Matt 13:45). In fact, if you identify anything that is hindering you, cut it off and let it go (Matt 5:29-30). This may cause radical changes to your life. Or it may not - just a radical change to your thinking.
Forget about praying for job, relationships, provision, etc. Just pray that He continues to unveil his glory to you and captivate your heart again. Pray hard. Do not let go until He has shown you His glory. And it is a prayer that will be answered (Jeremiah 29:13), because it is the Holy Spirit that leads you to pray this way (Gal 4:6).
If you have hit a brick wall with your Bible reading - then stop for a while. Instead seek some resource to help you nuance and give colour to what your read. Then, when the scriptures have been explained to you, your heart will be set ablaze to return to them and seek Christ in them (see Luke 24:13-32).
Resources that may be suitable for you:
-- Free seminary lectures are available from covenant seminary
-- Free lectures available from Reformed Theological Seminary via itunes U
-- Free conference talks and sermons from The Gospel Coalition - their blog is worth checking out
And, obviously, we will be praying for you.
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