Mark Altrogge, who I know primarily from his songwriting for Sovereign Grace Music, has written a blog post titled “The Pastor from Gehenna” that really gets to the core of one of my inner struggles as a pastor: how do we motivate people to live like disciples of Jesus?  Quote:

My job was to whip the saints into obedience against their will. Since they really didn’t want to serve God, I had to guilt or pressure them into it. I’d say things like, “Come on, let’s worship God like we really mean it.” How self-righteous I was.

Read the article for what Altrogge understands as the solution (and I would agree).

This post from Hillbilly PhD is hardly novel, but it is a great reminder that what counts most in our labors is not likely to be appreciated by the world:

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions, just read the list straight through. You’ll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

The people that have the biggest impact on our lives do not necessarily have a lot of credentials, have not always won a lot of awards, or been heralded by the rest of the world. The people that usually have the biggest impact on our lives are the everyday heroes that are present and take a meaningful and active role in our life. Why not take a little time to give them an award for their actions. You may not be able to give them a prestigious award like those mentioned above, but you can give them your appreciation. Please take time to show someone important in your life some appreciation today. It will be well worth you time and effort.

Not many people will know of the fruits of our labors, but some people will know and will appreciated them.  Most importantly, there is One who knows, and whose appreciation counts the most and will count for eternity.

I ran across an interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times titled Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind, written by two authorities on neuroscience, Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang.  They present two scientific discoveries that I believe to have interesting implications for Christian discipleship, particularly the value of asceticism and spiritual disciplines.

The first discovery is that people have limited amounts of willpower, so that at any given point in time, exercising self-control in one area tends to diminish one’s ability to exercise control in another:

The brain has a limited capacity for self-regulation, so exerting willpower in one area often leads to backsliding in others. . . . The brain’s store of willpower is depleted when people control their thoughts, feelings or impulses, or when they modify their behavior in pursuit of goals.

That’s the bad news. 

The second finding is that self-control can be developed and increased over time:

The good news, however, is that practice increases willpower capacity, so that in the long run, buying less now may improve our ability to achieve future goals . . .

Neither of these discoveries are particularly earth-shaking.  Perhaps I should call them scientific confirmations.  My point, however, is that I found this article helpful because I have pondered the value of spiritual disciplines in light of the following passage of Scripture:

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23, English Standard Version)

In light of Paul’s teaching, what value is there in such disciplines as fasting, which might appear to be the application of “asceticism and severity to the body.”  Paul seemed to me to be saying that this kind of activity is useless in controlling the flesh.

On further reflection, Paul may not be saying that exercising self-discipline has no value.  Instead, he is saying that an ascetic lifestyle, which consists of rules which prohibit eating certain kinds of foods, or forbidding marriage (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5), or keeping certain Jewish laws based on clean/unclean distinctions, cannot control the flesh and its passions.  An all-or-nothing approach is incompatible with the way our souls/bodies work.

It may be that long-term, consistent work at self-control may work when it is part of a lifestyle that acknowledges the goodness of our bodies and of creation:

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.  (1 Timothy 4:4-5, ESV)

After all, elsewhere Paul can speak of discipline positively:

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:27, ESV)

What I am getting at is that use of spiritual disciplines is not the same as adopting an ascetic lifestyle.  It is the application of various practices which, over time, can be of assistance in our pursuit of becoming more like Jesus Christ.  That is to say, on the one hand, asceticism tends to be self-defeating because our capacity for excercising willpower is limited.  On the other hand, spiritual disciplines can be effective because they take into account the reality that personal change takes place over time.