Religion in its Greek root (Religare) means “to re-tie or reconnect to God.” Religion is to bind us again to the Source from whom we came and to whom we shall return. The practice of the spiritual disciplines is the way in which we get reconnected to God.
Many people recoil at the word discipline. Very few of us willingly embrace the concept. We usually kick, scream, struggle, and resist becoming a person of discipline. Perhaps this is due to a lack of knowledge about what the practice of the spiritual disciplines does for us and our relationship with God. Ultimately, the disciplines serve as a means of bringing us in the presence of God and of ushering us into a place of divine intimacy.
To be a disciplined people means that we persist daily in our effort to know God. There is not a singular “knowing” that lasts for a lifetime. In the course of any given day, our spirits are broken, assaulted, attacked, strained, or disturbed. When this happens, we often become discouraged, confused, weary, unfocused, and possibly depressed. Often we begin to feel that we are cut off from God; God just seems to be so very far away. In those times, the spiritual disciplines are our lifeline. Each day we must engage in those experiences that reconnect us with God.
We have now entered the season of Lent. This is more than a time of deprivation, when we concentrate on giving up things that distract or destroy us, such as television, smoking, overeating, or eating the wrong foods. Rather that seeing it as a time of sacrifice, Lent should be viewed as a season in which we can get good religion. Remember, the ultimate purpose of Lent is for believers to renew our relationship with God. We do so by participating in the practice of spiritual disciplines. We should learn to view the disciplines of worship, meditation, prayer, fasting, and the study of God’s Word not as dull work that we resent, but as opportunities to reinforce our connection to God.
Make no mistake. Spiritual disciplines are not a vain effort to save ourselves; they are an intelligent application of spiritual principles that enable us to enter into a life-giving relationship with God.
When Easter Sunday morning comes, will you be able to say, “I’ve got good religion”? You can say yes if you purpose in your heart this day that you will persist in practicing the spiritual disciplines. Then you will be able to declare, “I’ve got good religion, certainly, Lord!”