Wading in the frigid, churning waters of Northern California as a little girl, I viewed the ocean with hesitation bordering on fear. When I got older, I encountered the more user-friendly side of the Pacific in Hawaii where velvety, warm water lapped on the shore. Diving under gentle swells, I discovered the wonder of playing in the ocean and experienced a whole new part of God’s creation. Never again would I be content to stand ankle-deep onshore and miss out on the delight of full immersion.
Over the past eight weeks as we’ve been studying Practicing the Way, we’ve been dipping our toes in the ocean of experiences related to spiritual disciplines. Throughout the study we’ve been invited to wade in deeper, trying unfamiliar practices and discovering new ways to encounter the Lord.
By now, you know that “Practicing the way of Jesus isn’t a book, a program, or a website, but a way of life.”1 You’ve been introduced to spiritual practices and have tested out a few. Hopefully you’ve discovered practices that seemed intimidating at first but are turning out to be life-giving for you.
Although we’re wrapping up our eight-week study of Practicing the Way, our journey is just beginning. Rather than trying harder to apply what we’ve learned, let’s continue training as apprentices of Jesus. Pastor Ken Shigamatsu explains the difference: “’Trying’ is saying over and over again that tomorrow will be different but staying mostly in the same old patterns. ‘Training’ is setting up a deliberate pattern of behaviors or habits so that we can change.”2
Paul makes a similar observation: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come… That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:8 & 10, NIV)
Training in spiritual disciplines is worth the effort because it holds eternal value. You’ll swim in ever-deepening waters of God’s love, discovering more about His character and how He designed you. So whether you’re ankle deep or fully immersed, there’s still an ocean of opportunity that awaits. As you practice the rhythms of spiritual disciplines, keep experimenting. Your Rule of Life will change in different seasons. It’s a flexible tool to support you, not a page to fill out once in a workbook.
Here are a few ways you can continue learning:
- Go back through the “Bonus Material” included at the end of each session in the Reading Reflection Guide and access what you skipped.
- Listen to the Rule of Life Podcast. It has multiple episodes over nine seasons. (Each season focuses on one of the nine practices.) Scroll through the episodes on Apple podcasts or on the Practicing The Way YouTube channel by clicking here.
- Explore the resources available at practicingtheway.org. You’ll need to create a free account so you can sign up to do a deeper dive into the practices one at a time (each of the 9 practices has a 4-session study experience with short videos).
- Start reading the books suggested at the end of the Reading Reflection Guide (pages 121-122).
Practicing the way of Jesus is a lifelong journey, not a passing trend. There are abundant resources you can learn from over time. Choose what interests you and see where it leads. Start small and take it slow.
Remember, the practices are not the end goal—they are simply tools that enable us to go deeper in our spiritual journey. They’re meant to support our faith so we can be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did. With that in mind, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians seems like a fitting way to close our eight weeks of study while leaving the door open for a lifetime of practicing the way of Jesus:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV)
*This post is part of a series based on Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer and weekly practices described in the eight-session study guide. Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.
If you’d like a digital PDF of the Reading Reflection Guide to download, please reply in the comments.
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- Practicing the Way Reading Reflection Guide, 121.
- Ken Shigamatsu, God in My Everything, Zondervan, 2013, 24.