12. A life that outwardly displays the values of:
•Devotion to the Word and spiritual disciplines
•Worship
•Prayer
•The gifts and fruits of the Spirit
•The reproduction of their faith (evangelism) and the reproduction of their ministry.
•A love for Christ’s church and the community of believers.
Devotion to the Word and Spiritual Disciplines
Donald Whitney is a Christian author and professor of biblical spirituality who has written extensively on the spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith. According to his book "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life," the following are some of the key spiritual disciplines that Christians can practice to grow in their relationship with God:
- Bible intake: This includes reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible in order to understand and apply God's word to one's life.
- Prayer: Prayer involves communicating with God, both expressing one's own needs and desires as well as listening to God's voice.
- Worship: Worship involves giving honor and praise to God, both individually and in a corporate setting, through singing, prayer, and participating in sacraments such as Communion.
- Evangelism: Evangelism involves sharing the message of the Gospel with others in order to bring them into a relationship with God.
- Serving others: Serving others involves putting the needs of others before one's own, as a way of demonstrating God's love to those in need.
- Stewardship: Stewardship involves managing one's resources, including time, talents, and finances, in a way that honors God and furthers His kingdom.
- Fasting: Fasting involves abstaining from food or other pleasures for a time in order to focus on spiritual matters and draw closer to God.
- Silence and solitude: Taking time for silence and solitude can help cultivate a deeper sense of intimacy with God and provide space for reflection and contemplation.
- Journaling: Journaling involves recording one's thoughts and experiences as a way of reflecting on one's spiritual journey and seeking guidance from God.
- Learning: Learning involves seeking out opportunities to grow in one's knowledge and understanding of God and His ways, including attending church, participating in Bible studies, and reading Christian literature.
Whitney emphasizes that these spiritual disciplines are not a checklist to be completed but rather a means of cultivating a deeper relationship with God, and that each person may need to focus on different disciplines at different times in their spiritual journey.
Wisdom: The ability to apply biblical knowledge to life situations.
- Knowledge: The ability to understand and interpret God's Word.
- Faith: A deep trust in God's character and promises.
- Healing: The ability to pray for and see physical and emotional healing in others.
- Miracles: The ability to see God work in supernatural ways.
- Prophecy: The ability to speak a message from God to individuals or groups.
- Discernment: The ability to recognize truth from error, good from evil.
- Speaking in tongues: The ability to speak in a language that is unknown to the speaker.
- Interpretation of tongues: The ability to understand and interpret a message spoken in tongues.
- Service: The ability to serve and meet the needs of others in the church and community.
Nugget: “If there are any regrets in Heaven, they will only be that we did not use our earthly time more for the glory of God and for growth in His grace. If this is so, this may be Heaven’s only similarity with hell, which will be filled with agonizing laments over time so foolishly squandered.”
-Donald S. Whitney
