Practice Being a Successful Disciple of Christ

In the rush to live our lives, we sometimes overlook the guidelines God has given us so that we can live our best life in Him! In order to be a successful disciple of Christ and live the abundant life He wants for us; our lives should be defined by the spiritual disciplines of His Word. What comes to mind when you think of the word discipline?

Did you know the root word of disciple comes from the word discipline? Consider this, we are what we repeatedly do. Discipline can help us improve. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he writes, “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” Paul encourages his protégé to train himself to be godly, and then expresses the similarities between physical training (disciplines) and spiritual training (disciplines). For example, if we discipline ourselves to exercise routinely, we will see the health benefits of doing so. In the same way, practicing spiritual disciplines help us grow as believers, more effectively reflecting Christ and living our best life in Him.

As disciples of Christ, it is important that we practice spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, giving, and serving. In the Greek, disciple is the word mathétés which means “a learner, a follower, a student.” In Jesus’s day, disciples learned directly from their teacher, seeking to follow not only his doctrines but his lifestyle, to become like their teacher in every way. The verb form mathéteuó translates as “to be or make a disciple or to disciple.” It carries the connotation of progressive learning - disciplined, matured, developed – not only in belief, but also in practice.

It is important to remember, spiritual disciplines are not imposed on others, but are practiced as a form of self-discipline (Paul’s instructions are “train yourself to be godly.”) Paul testified to his own efforts in this in Acts 24:16, “I discipline myself to always maintain a blameless conscience before both God and men." This week, may we do the same, as we seek to add beneficial spiritual disciplines to our own lives and be more like Christ.