40 Days of Discipline

Category Archives: 2024

Year of journey.


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 31 – Bible Study & Prayer

1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.  2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.  (Nehemiah 8:1 – 3, New International Version)

1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.  (Nehemiah 9:1 – 3, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Your introspective responses to yesterday’s question were insightful.  Thanks for the transparency displayed by all who commented.

So far, in our examination of the discipleship journey of the Children of Israel, we have extracted lessons from their idolatry and obstinacy.  Today, we will discuss a more positive aspect of the discipleship journey of the Children of Israel – community.  In the book of Nehemiah we learn that as the Children of Israel were coming out of exile and coming to grips with their waywardness, they asked that the Law of Moses be read to their community for hours at a time. They also prayed as a community, including public confessions.  The public reading of Scripture in Nehemiah was consistent with a commandment issued by Moses that the Law be read before all of Israel every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10 – 11).  For our discussion, the significant point is this, discipleship for the Children of Israel was enacted in the context of community. 

How do we think about discipleship today where community is concerned? For example, how do we interact with Scripture and pray as a community?  Small group Bible studies and prayer meetings are a great example of discipleship in community, but do we overlook many other opportunities for discipleship in community? For example, how does public prayer and the public reading of Scripture by the Children of Israel compare with the treatment of prayer and Scripture reading in many of our worship services. Do we see sufficient focus on discipleship? 

We must be mindful of the fact that our Western culture promotes individualism, and unfortunately, we often take an individualistic mentality into the sphere of discipleship.  While being a disciple of Jesus clearly has personal elements (e.g., certain aspects of decision making and accountability), the New Testament often portrays discipleship in community (e.g., Jesus and His disciples and the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles).

Bible Passages:

In our Scripture passages today, Nehemiah provides a window into how the Children of Israel responded as a community to their time in exile.  Please prayerfully read the passages and consider the questions below.          

Questions:

  • What are some warning signs of an unhealthy focus on individualism where discipleship is concerned?
  • Can you think of New Testament Bible passages that encourage discipleship in community?  Please share at least one.

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 30 – Bible Study & Prayer

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.  16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.  But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. (Nehemiah 9:13 – 18, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Thank you for your comments yesterday that highlighted the incompatibility of idolatry with being a disciple of Jesus.  In the discipleship journey of the Children of Israel, there is another trait that they exhibited that is incompatible with discipleship.  In several places in the Bible, God expresses his displeasure with the Children of Israel being “stiff-necked.”    

The activity that some scholars associate with the word “stiff-necked” is the plowing of a field.  Visualize, if you will, two oxen pulling a plow.  A plowman follows the oxen and uses an iron spike at the end of a pole to prick the oxen in the neck to keep them on course.  Now visualize an ox that continues to go off course even after being pricked by the iron spike.  That rebellious ox would be considered stiff-necked.  How compliant are we to the guidance provided by Jesus?  Where do we get our direction, and how do we rely on God to correct our rebellious nature?  The Bible tells us when we are going off the course God has prescribed, and prayer is our means of communicating with a God who cares, corrects, and strengthens us.

Bible Passage:

In our Scripture passage, Nehemiah provides a summary of a subset of the discipleship journey of the Children of Israel.  Please prayerfully read the passage and consider the question below.          

Question:

Admitting that we sometimes rebel against God is not always easy.  If you had to pick a primary motivating force for being a stiff-necked disciple at times, what would you chose?  (Note: Be sure to talk to God about existing or potential areas of rebellion. He is forgiving and He is the source of our strength)

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 29 – Bible Study & Prayer

1And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.  (Exodus 20:1 – 3, New international Version)

10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10 – 11, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

We have spent the last 4 weeks absorbing the importance of discipleship and discussing how Bible study and prayer enable our discipleship walk with Jesus.  This week, we will dig deeper into the theme of discipleship by extracting some lessons from God’s shepherding of the Children of Israel.  Some of the key challenges we currently face as disciples of Jesus are like discipleship challenges the Children of Israel faced.  As we seek to put what we are learning about discipleship into practice, we can benefit from observing the experiences of the Children of Israel.

A good place to start is where God started when He issued the Ten Commandments, which would serve as a discipleship guide to the Children of Israel.  God’s declaration begins with an “I am” statement that spoke of identity and warned against idolatry.  As was the case for the Children of Israel, the pervasiveness of idolatry is a major problem for disciples of Jesus today.  God knows that we are prone to conveniently construct gods of our own making.

Everyone follows something/someone.  Our idol may not be a golden calf but it could be money, country, religious leaders, family members, politicians, celebrities, and more.  As we consider the application of discipleship, clarity about who we are following is foundational, and the disciplined application of Bible study and prayer is fundamental.  Our discipleship journey will go nowhere if we are not prayerfully following the Jesus of Scripture.

Bible Passages:

Our Old Testament Scripture passage reflects the opening verses of the Ten Commandments, and the New Testament passage captures the Apostle Paul’s desire to know Jesus.  Please prayerfully read the passages and reflect on how important it is for disciples of Jesus to be confident they are really following Him and not an idol.          

Questions:

  • Why is idolatry totally inconsistent with being a disciple of Jesus?
  • How are Bible study and prayer important safeguards against idolatry?    

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


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40 Days of Discipline:  Day 28 – Review

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  (James 5:16, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Today is dedicated to reviewing what we have learned over the past five days.  This week we continued our focus on disciples of Jesus praying passionately.  We looked at disciples of Jesus over two millennia who were/are passionate about prayer. A summary of the lessons we learned from the disciples follows:

  • From the 4th Century AD, Saint Augustine teaches us about faith and prayer;
  • From the Middle Ages, Saint Anselm teaches us about seeking and finding God in prayer;
  • From the Early Modern era, Martin Luther teaches us about confidence in prayer;
  • From the Modern era, Horatio Spafford teaches us about praying in our darkest hours;
  • From our era, Rowan Williams teaches us about praying with expectancy.

We certainly benefit from having a “great cloud of witnesses,” and we also benefit from the excellent commentary throughout the week.  Please consider catching up on any comments you may have missed. 

Question:

As you reflect on the lessons from the selected disciples of Jesus, what lesson(s) resonated the most with you? 

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 27 – Prayer

1 Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.  2 Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.  3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.  (Psalm 5:1 – 3, New international Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Your comments continue to add so much depth to our journey.  What a blessing it is to read what encourages you to pray even in your darkest hours.  Thanks for your transparency!

So far this week, we have been able to learn about passionate prayer from the lives of disciples of Jesus starting in the 4th century all the way to the Modern era.  Today we end with a lesson from a disciple living in our era, the Post-modern era.  Back on Day 6 we were introduced to the theologian and author Rowan Williams.  In his book, Being Disciples:  Essentials of the Christian Life, Williams uses an interesting analogy to encourage praying with expectancy.

“The Master is going to speak or show something; reality is going to open up when you are in the Master’s company, and so your awareness (as has often been said by people writing about contemplative prayer) is a little bit like that of a birdwatcher. The experienced birdwatcher, sitting still, poised, alert, not tense or fussy, knows that this is the kind of place where something extraordinary suddenly bursts into view. I’ve always loved that image of prayer as birdwatching. You sit very still because something is liable to burst into view, and sometimes of course it means a long day sitting in the rain with nothing very much happening. I suspect that, for most of us, a lot of our experience of prayer is precisely that. But the odd occasions when you do see what T. S. Eliot…called ‘the kingfisher’s wing’ flashing ‘light to light’ make it all worthwhile. And I think that living in this sort of expectancy—living in awareness, your eyes sufficiently open and your mind both relaxed and attentive enough to see that when it happens—is basic to discipleship.”

What a privilege for disciples of Jesus to be able to pray and live with the expectancy of a birdwatcher.  “Something extraordinary” is going to “burst into view!”     

Bible Passage:

Our Scripture passage describes the Psalmists attitude of expectancy in prayer.  Please prayerfully read the passage and consider the question below.          

Question:

Can you recall an example of someone praying with expectancy in the Bible?  Please share your memorable example.    

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 26 – Prayer

1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.  2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. (Psalm 61:1 – 3, New International Version)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

The verses that you shared yesterday demonstrate your reliance on God’s promises when you pray.  Your comments were aligned with another quote from Martin Luther, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of God’s willingness.”  Thanks to all who contributed!

Today we move into the Modern era to consider the contribution of Horatio Spafford (1828 – 1888) who was an American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder.  Horatio and his wife Anna suffered tremendous loss during their lifetime.  Six of their children died before the age of 12, including 4 daughters who died when the ship they were sailing across the Atlantic in with their mother sank.  While sailing to reunite with his wife who survived the sinking of the ship, Horatio wrote a poem, which became the popular hymn, “It is Well With My Soul.”  Embedded in the hymn is a passionate prayer:

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

Horatio’s prayer emphasizes that praying is for good times and bad times, and in our darkest moments God is our refuge.

Bible Passages:

Our Scripture passages today echo the sentiments expressed by Horatio.  They encourage prayer to a God who provides refuge when we are overwhelmed.  Please prayerfully read the passages and consider the question below.          

Question:

In good times and bad times, disciples of Jesus should be drawn to prayer but sometimes the pain of distressing circumstances discourages prayer.  Where do you find encouragement to pray even in the darkest hours? 

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 25 – Prayer

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6 – 7, New International Version)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Thanks for your profound thoughts about how you deepen your relationship with God in prayer.  As we continue to fan the flames of passion for prayer by exploring the thoughts of disciples of Jesus across two millennia, we turn today to Martin Luther.  As a reminder, we started the week in the 4th century AD and reflected on Saint Augustine’s thoughts on prayer and faith.  Next, we moved ahead to the Middle Ages and reflected on Saint Anselm’s prayer to seek and find God.  Today we advance to the Early Modern era. 

Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) was a pivotal player in the Protestant Reformation.  He is also known for being very thoughtful about prayer.   In one of his major doctrinal statements, Martin Luther references God’s promises in Scripture and gives the following advice for praying:

“You can hold such promises up to him and say, ‘Here I come, dear Father, and pray not of my own accord nor because of my own worthiness, but at your commandment and promise, which cannot fail or deceive me.’”

Bible Passages:

Our Scripture passages today describe how we should approach God in prayer, without anxiety and with confidence.        

Questions:

  • What did Martin Luther suggest we should rely on to be confident in prayer?
  • Is there a particular Scriptural promise that you utilize in prayer that you would be prepared to share?

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 24 – Prayer

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10 – 14, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Yesterday we went back to the 4th century AD to reflect on Saint Augustine’s thoughts on prayer and faith.  Your comments were stimulating.  Thanks! 

Today we’ll move forward a few centuries into the Middle Ages.  There we encounter another disciple of Jesus who thought deeply about prayer.  Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033 – 1109) was a noted theologian, monk, and archbishop who is renowned for his arguments for the existence of God.  He is also known for his written prayers and meditations.  One of Saint Anselm’s prayers provides a powerful reminder of a key dynamic in prayer, a deepening relationship between God and those who seek Him:

O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You, where and how to find You.  You are my God and You are my all and I have never seen You.  You have made me and remade me, You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess, Still I do not know You. I have not yet done that for which I was made.  Teach me to seek You. I cannot seek You unless You teach me or find You unless You show Yourself to me. Let me seek You in my desire, let me desire You in my seeking. Let me find You by loving You, let me love You when I find You. Amen

Saint Anselm’s prayer reveals a very passionate interaction with God.  The references to seeking and finding point to a relationship that is being deepened in prayer. 

Bible Passage:

Our Scripture passage today describes how God spoke to the Children of Israel while they were exiles in Babylon.  Please note the intimacy expressed through the references to seeking and finding.      

Question:

In what ways do you experience a deepening of your relationship with God in prayer?

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


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40 Days of Discipline: Day 23 – Prayer

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.  20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.  21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:18 – 22, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

We will continue to fan the flames of passion for prayer.  In pursuit of this objective, we can draw from our rich Christian heritage built over more than two millennia.  Last week, we considered thoughts on prayer from the Old and New Testaments.  This week we will consider thoughts from disciples of Jesus from the first century of Christianity to today.  We will hear from disciples of Jesus who have demonstrated a passion for prayer.    

Let’s start in the 4th century AD and hear from Saint Augustine of Hippo.  Saint Augustine was a theologian born in North Africa in 354 AD (died in 430 AD).  He made many proclamations on the topic of prayer.  We will consider a small subset from one of Saint Augustine’s sermons (Sermon 65 on the New Testament) that addresses the important virtue of faith. Because it was written in a different era, the wording of the sermon may be a little strange but the message is powerful. Read the short passage below from St. Augustine a few times and let the message minister to you:

“The lesson of the Holy Gospel builds us up unto the duty of praying and believing, and of not putting our trust in ourselves, but in the Lord.. If faith fail, prayer perishes. For who prays for that which he does not believe?… So then that we may pray, let us believe; and that this same faith whereby we pray fail not, let us pray. Faith pours out prayer, and the pouring out of prayer obtains the strengthening of faith. Faith, I say, pours out prayer, the pouring out of prayer obtains strengthening even for faith itself.”

Bible Passage:

Please prayerfully read today’s Scripture passage and consider the questions below.      

Question:

  • How would you summarize St. Augustine’s view on the relationship between faith and prayer?
  • How does the relationship between faith and prayer impact your prayer life?

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


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40 Days of Discipline:  Day 22 – Review

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us today our daily bread.  12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’  (Matthew 6:9 – 13, New International Version)

Theme:  Discipleship

Context:

Thanks to all who responded to the question yesterday! It is clear that the Lord’s Prayer reveals what Jesus cares about. The responses that you shared provide a list that we can test ourselves against. Do our prayers demonstrate that we care about what Jesus cares about?

Today is dedicated to reviewing what we have learned over the past five days.  We spent this week reflecting on prayers that exhibit passion.  We reviewed prayers in the Old and New Testaments, and then we focused on what Jesus had to say about prayer.  Isn’t it good to know that Jesus has invested so much in ensuring we know how to pray?   

As you review the discussions from this week, please consider catching up on any comments you may have missed.

Question:

As you reflect on the discussions we engaged in this week, are there any revelations that help you guard against prayer without passion? 

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