40 Days of Discipline

Category Archives: 2023

Year of Journey


by 9 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 11 – Prayer

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  (Psalm 145:1 – 3, New International Version)

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11, New International Version)

11You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.  Lord my God, I will praise you forever.  (Psalm 30:11-12, New International Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

This week we will focus on Prayer and Fasting.  We will continue our tradition of jointly participating in a day of fasting this Friday (March 10th). 

We start the week though, considering the discipline of Prayer.  1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 links Prayer with Rejoicing and Thanksgiving (16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances…).  In effect, a habitual life of prayer and a perpetual attitude of rejoicing and gratitude are inextricably linked. 

There are many things that we can prayerfully rejoice and give thanks for.  Over the next three days we will focus on three.  Today we will focus on the most important reason to rejoice and give thanks – God.  He is both the inspiration for and the primary subject of our rejoicing and thanksgiving.

Bible Passages:   

There is something about Psalms of praise that inspire believers to rejoice and give thanks.  Our passages today demonstrate how David talked to God about God and about rejoicing in Him. Please study the passages and answer the question below.   

Question:

In your prayer life, does rejoicing in God and thanking God for who He is and what He does feature extensively?      

Please leave a comment.  We would love to hear from you.


by 5 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 10 – Review

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17, New International Version) 

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Today is dedicated to reviewing what we have learned over the past five days.  As you perform your review, please consider how Bible Study and Spiritual Warfare relate to Rejoicing and Thanksgiving.

A special note of thanks again to those who provided their thoughts on Bible Study and Spiritual Warfare.  Your input makes a big difference.

Question:

In the course of your review, can you identify at least one Bible Study or Spiritual Warfare practice that you need to implement more consistently in your life?    

Please leave a comment.  We would love to hear from you.


by 7 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 9 – Spiritual Warfare

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 43:5, English Standard Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

As we conclude our review of Spiritual Warfare, there is a need to address a reality of life that is sometimes difficult to discuss, including in Christian circles.  I am referring to mental health challenges, such as depression.  Fortunately, society has become much more open to discussing mental health issues, but there is still room for improvement.  For our study, it will be helpful to consider how we reconcile mental health challenges with a life of rejoicing and thanksgiving.  Certainly, we must be careful not to attribute mental health challenges to an attack of the devil.  However, attempts to “eliminate” God from the response to mental health challenges may certainly be acts of spiritual warfare.         

Bible Study Passage:

In our Scripture passage today, David describes his mental state and his response.  Please read the passage and respond to the question below.       

Question:

What comfort do you take from David’s response to his situation? 

Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else.  Please leave a comment on the blog.


by 6 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 8 – Spiritual Warfare

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1 – 4, New International Version)

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:13 – 17, New International Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

Thank you for concentrating on the discipline of Bible Study over the last three days. The responses to the blogs have been excellent and they have helped us to see how important God’s Word is to living a life of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

We now turn our attention to the discipline of Spiritual Warfare.  You may have heard the expression, “I won’t let the devil steal my joy,” You may have even said it yourself.  Today we will focus on one strategy that the devil uses to discourage a life of rejoicing and thanksgiving.  He tries to distort our view of God’s character.  Our adversary recognizes that the more we experience who God really is, the less likely we are to have our joy stolen.     

Bible Study Passages:

Our Scripture passages present an Old Testament story of spiritual warfare and a New Testament prescription for spiritual warfare.  Please read the passages and answer the questions below.       

Questions:

  • How did the devil attempt to distort God’s character?
  • What helpful responses to the devil’s tactic do you see in the armor of God? 

Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else.  Please leave a comment on the blog.


by 4 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 7 – Bible Study

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1 – 2, New International Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

Yesterday we reflected on the need to study the Bible to increase our knowledge of who God is, recognizing that our inclination to rejoice and give thanks is linked to the image we have of God.  Through the excellent contribution of those who commented we were able to reflect on some important biblical images of God that inspire rejoicing and thanksgiving.

Today we acknowledge the fact that our attitude towards rejoicing and thanksgiving is sometimes conditioned by the world, not the Bible.  We are subject to powerful influences in our social and professional circles, the media, and academia.  These influences are not always biblical.     

Bible Study Passage:

Our Scripture passage reminds us of the need for a renewed mind that does not conform to worldly influences.  Please study the passage and respond to the question below.       

Question:

Think about the way society in general relates to rejoicing and thanksgiving.  Can you think of some ways that Scripture conditions us to think differently?

Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else.  Please leave a comment on the blog.


by 6 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 6 – Bible Study

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3 – 9, English Standard Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

Our study yesterday emphasized the need to be rooted in Scripture.  Our commentators did an excellent job of explaining how our study of Scripture enables rejoicing and thanksgiving as a way of life. 

Today we will focus on one of the key reasons why we need to be committed to studying all of Scripture.  It is the entire Bible that provides a true characterization of who God is, and we can reasonably assume that our view of God impacts our approach to rejoicing and thanksgiving.  For example, if a Bible reader concludes that God is more concerned about revenge than love, their relationship to rejoicing and thanksgiving will likely differ from a Bible reader who reaches the opposite conclusion.      

Bible Study Passage:

Our Scripture passage above presents a view of God and paints a beautiful picture of a joyful response because of who God is.  Please study the passage and respond to the question below.       

Question:

What biblical image(s) of God best underpin your attitude towards rejoicing and thanksgiving? 

Please share the most prominent image that comes to mind.


by 6 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 5 – Bible Study

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15 – 17, English Standard Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

Having laid some groundwork in our group Bible study last week, we now turn our attention to the Spiritual Disciplines.  As is our custom, we will consider how the practice of the Disciplines can support our theme and ultimately deepen our relationship with God. 

During our discussion last week, we noted how challenging it is to live lives characterized by Rejoicing and Thanksgiving. We also briefly discussed some of the ways we can rise to the challenge.  Today, let us consider how allowing the Scripture to govern our lives can serve as one of the contributors to our success. 

Bible Study Passage:

Our Scripture passage today is one of many that encourage rejoicing and gratitude.  This particular passage also references ‘the word of Christ.’ Please review the passage and answer the question below.      

Question:

How would you describe the relationship between being deeply rooted in Scripture and living a joyful and grateful life?

Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else.  Please leave a comment on the blog.


by 3 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 4 – Review

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, New International Version) 

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18, New International Version

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Today is dedicated to reviewing what we have learned over the past three days.  As you perform your review, please consider catching up on any comments you may have missed. 

Our consideration of the two verses above has laid some important groundwork for our journey over the remaining 36 days.  Our aim is to make the journey transformative and not just informative.  I hope you are excited about what God has in store.   

Question:

How has your thinking about rejoicing and thanksgiving evolved over the last three days?  

Please leave a comment.  We would love to hear from you.


by 6 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 3 – Group Bible Study

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, New International Version) 

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18, New International Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

Yesterday we considered the high bar set for Christians with regards to the biblical prescriptions to rejoice in the Lord always and give thanks in all circumstances.  However, as we saw in the excellent comments yesterday, the bar is not too high when God provides the necessary resources. 

The comments yesterday also provided honest reflections on how we often feel when we are under the pressure of life’s challenges. For example, when we are experiencing significant trials related to health, relationships, or finances.  Also, the times when we mourn because of significant losses.  As we close out our Group Bible Study, we will focus more specifically on the dilemma of rejoicing in the Lord and giving thanks in all circumstances when we are dealing with serious challenges. 

Bible Study Passages:

Our Scripture passages are again presented above.  Please continue your reflection on the verses and respond to the question below.    

Question:

Are there any passages of scripture, thoughts, or activities that encourage you in reconciling the biblical expectations related to rejoicing and thanksgiving with our typical responses to the challenges of life?

Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else.  Please leave a comment on the blog.


by 8 Comments

40 Days of Discipline:  Day 2 – Group Bible Study

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, New International Version) 

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18, New International Version)

Theme:  Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Context:

Many thanks to those who shared their definitions yesterday.  Words can lose their significance through common usage.  It is sometimes helpful to revisit and reflect on important words.  Rejoicing and thanksgiving certainly fall in the important category.

One important take-away from the definitions provided yesterday is the implied recognition that our views of rejoicing and thanksgiving are impacted by how we relate to God.  We will return to this important concept later in our 40-day journey.    

Today we want to focus on Paul’s insistence that we perpetually maintain an attitude of rejoicing and thanksgiving.  Rejoicing “in the Lord always” and giving thanks “in all circumstances.” Paul’s admonitions hold the potential to profoundly impact our lives.       

Bible Study Passages:

Our Scripture passages are again presented above.  Please continue to reflect on the verses and answer the questions below.    

Questions:

How do you relate to the expectations of rejoicing in the Lord always and giving thanks in all circumstances?   Do you think these are realistic expectations?

Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else.  Please leave a comment on the blog.