I’ve always felt my life was one of ongoing reflection and constant change–a continuous rearranging of habits. The New Year is of course a prime time to reflect and replace bad habits with good ones. But to me, the entire Christian life is one of reflection. Sanctification isn’t annual, but moment by moment. The Spirit is always convicting me of sin and reordering my desires toward Christ. From this conviction over the years, there are three main habits I want to continue to pursue.
1. Using my body in the spiritual disciplines
In the West, we often divorce our body from our mind. We may think praying in our head is no different than praying on our knees. Well, it’s certainly true that God hears us however we use our body in prayer. No bodily position can make our prayers more holy. And yes, God cares more about our hearts than our outward actions.
Still, we are holistic beings with both body and soul. We are not mere minds. While we often see our bodily posture as an expression of our hearts, the reverse is true as well. Our bodies also impact our hearts, for good or ill. In the Journal of Psychology and Theology, Stanton L. Jones and Heather R. Hostler observe, “What we do with our bodies directly impacts, either positively or negatively, how we connect with others and with God.” Body and soul, intricately connected–that is what makes us human beings.
So, I want to be more conscious of my posture in spiritual disciplines. Any time I have prayed on my face, I have felt afresh my dependency on God. Raising my hands in worship helps me focus on the words and believe them. It’s one thing for my heart to feel neediness or joy, it’s another for my entire being to express it. Or even in the moments I feel nothing, I may express the truth with my body, and the feeling of neediness or joy follows.
2. Prioritizing the church
Last semester I was challenged to find my identity in the church. Though Western Christians are individualistic, we still find identity in some group, whether peers, superiors, family, or the broader culture. It is a part of our communal nature. Becoming a Christian causes a fundamental change in our identity. Now, the church is the group I belong to over all others. Collectively, we are the Bride of Christ. These are not simply people I occupy the same space as, but people I walk with through life as members of a family.
As a Bible major at a Christian college, I have plenty opportunities to learn theology alongside other Christians. It’s been transformative to my faith. But I am missing a means of grace if I commit to an institution at the expense of the local church. All institutions will fade, but the church remains forever.
To believe this about the church and then treat her as optional, or even supplemental, would be absurd. And yet, meeting with my community group is often the first commitment to go when life gets busy. This year, I’m going to strive to remember the church’s absolute necessity to my spiritual well-being. I want to know and be known by church members, serve the church, and pray for the church.
3. Memorizing Scripture
At the Cross Conference several years ago, David Platt recited Romans 1-8 from memory. I had never seen anyone do this (still haven’t), and it encouraged me to memorize Romans 8. In moments of anxiety or discouragement, the Spirit continues to bring these words to mind. I used a method recommended by John Piper, and I still have the chapter memorized!
When I first became a Christian, I would set a verse as my background and go over it every time I unlocked my phone. At the end of the week, I had the verse memorized. I decided to start this again with Psalm 139. Additionally, I want to memorize a large portion of Psalm 119 and finally finish memorizing the book of Ephesians (still workin’ on chapter one).
If Scripture memory is difficult for you, I’d highly recommend listening to Shane and Shane’s album Psalms Vol. 2. Almost every song is a Psalm word for word. Learn the album and you have 11 Psalms memorized!
Specifics and Recommendations
For the past few years, I’ve used a devotional along with regular Scripture reading. I recommend Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening (free in the App Store) and Tim & Kathy Keller’s two devotionals, one in the Psalms and the other in Proverbs. This year, I’ll be reading Spurgeon’s Strengthen My Spirit that I scored for $3.75 at a used bookstore.
I’ve read most of the Bible, but I struggle to keep up with the Bible-in-a-Year reading plans. So I won’t be doing one of those. Instead, I’m going to study a book of Scripture more deeply. One thing that prevents me from reading the Old Testament is my shallow knowledge of the context. This year, I’ll grab a commentary or two to study the book of Hosea thoroughly.
In light of our resolutions, rhythms, or goals, we should keep Kevin DeYoung’s words in mind: “Anytime we talk about what we should do every day, we must make clear what Christ has already done for us.” Some of the goals I had last year I have again this year. I fail to worship, live in community, and memorize Scripture as I desire. But praise God, Jesus has come. He knows we won’t be perfect, but he will help us if we ask him to. And when we fall short, as we inevitably will, Christ will remind us that the Spirit who convicts of sin is same one who testifies to our adoption as sons and daughters, the same one who saved us by grace and not by anything we have done.
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