Cultivate Spirituality

We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27); filled with the Spirit of God (Acts 2:4; Ephesians 5:18); called to have our lives shaped into the likeness of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). We are in essence, spiritual beings in human bodies trying to bring heaven to earth through our everyday interactions. We see spirituality unpacked in spirit, mind, and body.

To be a person cultivating spirituality means to invest in the inner spirit of a person through devotion to God (Romans 12:1). This happens when we make regular decisions to worship and spend time with our Father. We believe our personal devotion to God is first shown through what these practices represent: putting our relationship with Christ first in our lives.

To be a person cultivating spirituality means to invest in the mind of a person through education and critical thinking of Scripture (2 Timothy 2:7; Acts 17:11). By education, we mean to learn the stories of the Bible and what they mean. By critical thinking, we mean to deeply examine the Bible and not take anything wholesale from any interpreter, but to do our own work of examination.

To be a person cultivating spirituality means to invest in the body of oneself through discipline (2 Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 10:17) and personal application of Scripture. In general, we are all undisciplined and need to be pushed towards better disciplines of prayer, fasting, self-control, acts of kindness, giving, serving...and the list goes on. All of these take intentionality and constant discipline.

Resources

Spirit: Devotion

Mind: Critical Thinking

Body: Discipline

Putting it into practice

Check out this sermon on cultivating spirituality.
Read this blog post on cultivating spirituality.

Cultivating spirituality involves investing in your spirit, mind, and body. Here are some exercises to help you engage those three areas this week.

Spirit. Spend time reflecting at the end of a day. Look back at your day and look for ways your heart was drawn to worship God. What drew your attention towards God? What was going on inside of you? On the other hand, when were you drawn to worship things other than God? What happened? What was drawing your attention away from God? What was going on inside of you? 

Mind. What’s a story in the Bible that has given you trouble in the past? Find that story and read it, then read it again. What do you feel? Journal some reflections. Pick up a commentary or study Bible to learn and consider all the different approaches to that particular story.

Body. Consider fasting from a meal this week. During the time you’d normally be eating, spend time reading Scripture or praying or sitting quietly or journaling. Reflect later on what the experience was like for you

One way to engage spirit, mind, and body is by memorizing and meditating on God’s word. Try to memorize Romans 12:1 this week: “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…”