What is never noticed in the life of a believer yet always observed?
It is spiritual disciplines. If done correctly, you never see when someone does them, yet they are always obviously present in their lives.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached a sermon of which the world has yet to recover. In one section, he spoke of three spiritual disciplines that he assumed would be present in the lives of his disciples.
Jesus said:
- When you give (Matt. 6:2)
- When you pray (Matt. 6:5)
- When you fast (Matt. 6:16)
Jesus didn’t isolate these disciplines for the super-spiritual elite.
Jesus didn’t instruct us regarding “if” we would do spiritual disciplines, but “when” we would do them.
His underscored expectation reveals how he taught concerning each discipline’s importance.
Our spiritual disciplines should be unnoticeably noticeable. We should never parade them around to impress others, but it should be evident that we are committed to them.
Someone who is genuinely growing through these spiritual habits is never in need to prove to others of their activity.
Their lives are the megaphone, and they need no introductions. The fruit that they provide is the noticeable difference. Pray that you will engage the disciplines for God’s approval and not man’s (Matt. 6:1; Gal. 1:10).
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
