Summer Devotional Habits and Prioritizing Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are practices that Christians undertake to foster spiritual growth and deepen their relationship with God. These disciplines are not ends in themselves but means to cultivate godliness [7]. The apostle Paul, for instance, exhorted believers to "meditate carefully" on spiritual matters and to "give thyself wholly to" them, emphasizing that complete dedication is key to proficiency in religion [3].
One foundational discipline is regular worship and attendance at the "house of God," which includes public worship [8]. The Old Testament set precedents for specific times of worship, such as the Sabbath, which was to be kept holy [6]. The seventh month in the Israelite calendar, for example, contained more sacred solemnities than other months, partly because it was a time of leisure between harvest and seedtime, allowing more opportunity to attend the sanctuary [9]. This suggests a historical understanding that periods of reduced worldly labor could be dedicated more fully to spiritual observance.
Prayer is another essential discipline. The Psalmist prays, "Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice!" [1]. This verse from Psalm 141:2 (Vulgate 140:2) highlights prayer as a consecrated offering to God. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist commentator, links watchfulness and sobriety as mutually beneficial duties, noting that one cannot remain sober without being on guard, nor can one watch long without sobriety [2]. This spiritual watchfulness is a component of a disciplined prayer life, guarding against spiritual sloth and idleness [2].
Meditation is closely linked with prayer and the study of scripture. The command to "meditate carefully" on spiritual truths, as seen in 1 Timothy 4:15, is compared to the digestion of food; just as food needs to be assimilated to nourish the body, spiritual food requires prayerful meditation for it to benefit the individual [3]. This process helps redirect emotions toward the Lord, preventing excessive self-reflection and promoting a right spirit in offering sacrifices [4].
The New Testament frequently shifts from doctrinal instruction to practical exhortation, as seen in Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. The first part of Ephesians lays out doctrinal truths, while the latter part provides "most weighty and serious exhortations" for the direction of Christian life and manners [5]. This structure underscores the importance of applying theological understanding through practical disciplines. A focused commitment to these practices is presented as an antidote to spiritual dullness, encouraging believers to follow the example of those who demonstrated faith and endurance [7].
Sources
- Psalms “Dirigatur oratio mea sicut incensum in conspectu tuo ; elevatio manuum mearum sacrificium vespertinum. -- Psalms 140:2”
- 1 Thessalonians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 5:6: On what had been said, the apostle grounds seasonable exhortations to several needful duties. I. To watchfulness and sobriety, Th1 5:6. These duties are distinct, yet they mutually befriend one another. For, while we are compassed about with so many temptations to intemperance and excess, we shall not keep sober, unless we be upon our guard, and, unless we keep sober, we shall not long watch. 1. Then let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch; we must not be secure and careless, nor indulge spiritual sloth and idleness. We must not be off our watch, b”
- 1 Timothy (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Timothy 4:15: Meditate--Greek, "Meditate CAREFULLY upon" (Psa 1:2; Psa 119:15; compare "Isaac," Gen 24:63). these things-- (Ti1 4:12-14). As food would not nourish without digestion, which assimilates the food to the substance of the body, so spiritual food, in order to benefit us, needs to be appropriated by prayerful meditation. give thyself wholly to--literally, "BE in these things"; let them engross thee wholly; be wholly absorbed in them. Entire self-dedication, as in other pursuits, so especially in religion, is the secret of proficiency. There are chan”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 4:5: 4:5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit: Redirecting emotions toward the Lord prevents a godly individual from doing too much self-reflection (40:6-8; 51:17).”
- Ephesians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4 (introduction): We have gone through the former part of this epistle, which consists of several important doctrinal truths, contained in the three preceding chapters. We enter now on the latter part of it, in which we have the most weighty and serious exhortations that can be given. We may observe that in this, as in most others of Paul's epistles, the former part is doctrinal, and fitted to inform the minds of men in the great truths and doctrines of the gospel, the latter is practical, and designed for the direction of their lives and manners, all Christians bein”
- Deuteronomy (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Deuteronomy 5:5: I am the Lord thy God,.... This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in Exo 20:2; see Gill on Exo 20:2, and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer to Exo 20:1 for the sense of the various laws. for the sense of the various laws. Deuteronomy 5:12 deu 5:12 deu 5:12 deu 5:12Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it,.... Or observe it, by setting it apart as a time of natural rest, and for the performance of hol”
- Hebrews (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Hebrews 6:12: 6:12 A focused commitment (6:10-11) is the antidote to being spiritually dull (5:11-12). By loving God and others, we follow the example of great people of the faith. The author puts a great deal of emphasis on both faith and endurance as normal requirements for God’s people (see 11:4-38).”
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 5:1: Solomon's design, in driving us off from the world, by showing us its vanity, is to drive us to God and to our duty, that we may not walk in the way of the world, but by religious rules, nor depend upon the wealth of the world, but on religious advantages; and therefore, I. He here sends us to the house of God, to the place of public worship, to the temple, which he himself had built at a vast expense. When he reflected with regret on all his other works (Ecc 2:4), he did not repent of that, but reflected on it with pleasure, yet mentions it not, lest he shou”
- Numbers (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Numbers 29:1: There were more sacred solemnities in the seventh month than in any other month of the year, not only because it had been the first month till the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt (which, falling in the month Abib, occasioned that to be thenceforth made the beginning of the months in all ecclesiastical computations), but because still it continued the first month in the civil reckonings of the jubilees and years of release, and also because it was the time of vacation between harvest and seedtime, when they had most leisure to attend the sanctuary, which intima”