study

::: study is one of the four inward disciplines of spiritual transformation (along with meditation, prayer and fasting) described in richard foster's landmark volume, celebration of discipline...a highly recommended and worthwhile read!

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...on the life-transforming value of this discipline, foster observes:

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"The purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines is the total transformation of the person. They aim at replacing old destructive habits of thought with new life-giving habits. Nowhere is this purpose more clearly seen than in the Discipline of study.

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Many Christians remain in bondage to fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the Discipline of study. They may be faithful in church attendance and earnest in fulfilling their religious duties, and still they are not changed. I am not here speaking only of those who are going through mere religious forms, but of those who are genuinely seeking to worship and obey Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. They may sing with gusto, pray in the Spirit, live as obediently as they know, even receive divine visions and revelations, and yet the tenor of their lives remain unchanged. Why?

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Because they have never taken up on the central ways God uses to change us: study. Jesus made it unmistakably clear that the knowledge of the truth will set us free. 'You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free' (John 8:32). Good feelings will not free us. Ecstatic feelings will not free us. Getting 'high on Jesus' will not free us. Without a knowledge of the truth, we will not be free." [pp. 62-63]

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...as for what to study, foster draws a divide between verbal (books) and nonverbal (nature) sources...concerning the former, foster recommends the following...

• reading large chunks of scripture and observing the structure, flow and metanarrative of God's word...such an approach also serves to counterbalance our tendencies to read the bible in a fragmentary, reductive way

• focusing on a smaller book -- like ephesians or 1 john -- and reading it through each day for a month

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...in addition to scripture, foster recommends classic christian literature, such as:

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• confessions of st. augustine (augustine)
• the imitation of Christ (thomas a kempis)
• the practice of the presence of God (brother lawrence)
• the little flowers of st. francis (brother ugolino)
• pensees (blaise pascal)
• table talks (martin luther)
• the institutes of christian religion (john calvin)
• the journals of george fox and john wesley
• a serious call to a devout and holy life (william law)
• a testament of devotion (thomas kelly)
• the cost of discipleship (dietrich bonhoeffer)
• mere christianity (c.s. lewis)

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...a designated day of rest, today provided us with an ever-so-sweet chance to stay in our pajamas until noon. do some household chores and devote ourselves unhurriedly to the discipline of study...

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