Tools for the Disciplines

September 3, 2024

Liberty, Maine

Wherever you are in your Christian life, you cannot grow spiritually without engaging in the Spiritual Disciplines, the most basic of which being scripture intake and prayer. 

We cannot live without eating; eating the bread of the word of God daily. We cannot live without breathing;  breathing the oxygen of the presence of God in prayer daily. 

Most of us have repeatedly applied ourselves to these daily disciplines, and all of us go through seasons of wandering or faltering where we fall short. Don't despair! Instead, let's apply ourselves anew in every season to pursue God in the word and prayer.

Below I lay out some tools and resources which you may find helpful as you pursue the task of spiritually eating and breathing daily.

1. Bible Study Resources

Bible Reading Plans

The best way to start reading scripture is to make a plan! This could be as simple as starting at the beginning of the Book, but many Christians have found it helpful to follow a pre-determined plan of reading. For example, I like the M'Cheyne plan (pdf here), which brings you through the Old Testament once per year and the New Testament and Psalms twice. I keep track of my reading on the ESV app (website with links to mobile/web app here), which has a ton of options for different Bible reading plans built in if you sign up for a free account. The ESV app also contains an audio Bible so you can listen to your Bible readings as well as reading them.

Study Bibles

Readers who are new to the Bible can sometimes be helped by a Study Bible, which has notes on every page which provide explanation and application of the Scriptures. The ESV Study Bible is a favorite of mine, and also comes in a Student Edition for teens. 

Daily Devotionals

Many in our church love the "Our Daily Bread" daily devotionals you can find in the back of the sanctuary. Some of you may remember a former pastor who called them something like, "Our Daily Crumb." ODB can be great as a gateway into Scripture, but don't rely on it for a lifetime of study! If you're looking for a good daily devotional book to accompany your Scripture reading, check out Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon or New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. A free, online devotional called "Solid Joys" from Pastor John Piper (a great personal influence of mine) can be found here. "Tabletalk," a daily devotional from Ligonier Ministries, can be accessed online at their website or sent to your inbox for free, or sent to your mailbox monthly for a small fee.

2. Prayer Resources

A Few Ideas

Almost every Christian I've ever talked to about prayer has agreed with something like this statement: "I wish I prayed more."  Start by setting aside a moment or two during the day that you can devote to prayer. For example: (almost) every morning, I pray with my family before I go to the office, and (almost) every evening I pray in private in my bedroom before I settle into bed. These are moments in the day where I can naturally take time for prayer, and form a sustainable habit. Some ideas:

• Pray the Lord's Prayer. When I don't know where else to begin, I pray the Lord's Prayer to focus my heart and mind on God. 

• Pray the Psalms. Similar idea here. Let God teach you to pray as you pray the Psalms!

• Pray after you read. After your Scripture reading, your heart and mind should be full of good food from the word of God. Praise God for who He has revealed himself ro be in your reading! Thank Him for the goodness He has shown! Confess your sin as Scripture has revealed it to you, and pray for help in growing into holiness as Scripture has guided you. 

• Write something down. Keep a prayer journal. Maintain a list of people you are praying for. Write something down. Anything! Scatterbrains like me are often helped by putting pen to paper.

Prayer Books

As Baptists, we don't have a prescribed "Prayer Book" like our high church brothers and sisters, but that doesn't mean we must have nothing to do with written prayers. "The Valley of Vision" is a book of prayers written by the Puritans, and when I need new energy in a moment of dryness of prayer, "The Valley" always wakes me right up! "Be Thou My Vision" is a relatively new prayer book that offers a structured pattern (or "liturgy") for daily prayer, with wonderful prayers drawn from a variety of sources within the Christian tradition. If you're looking for more structure in your devotional life, "Be Thou My Vision" is a great resource to consider.