Spiritual Disciplines

Salvation is a free gift from God. All Christians agree on this—it's the core of the Gospel, and represents the nature of mankind's relationship to the Creator of all things. We cannot achieve our own salvation, and must rely on God's mercy.

That does not mean God requires nothing of us. Once He claims us we follow, and following means turning our back on sin to embrace righteousness, love, and faith. This is also a gift; even those indwelt by the Holy Spirit can find no strength to do good on our own, but are empowered to seek God's face by Jesus Christ, the Maker of all good things.

Among the things He empowers us to accomplish are the spiritual disciplines: habits that lead to pure thinking, pure living, and selflessness in our relationships with God and other people. These include prayer, Bible reading, tithe and offering, meditation and contemplation, fasting, and caring for the needy.

While there is a high level of personal decision and commitment needed to accomplish these things, none of them are possible completely removed from accountability and community. Christ's body is a Church, not a bunch of disconnected individuals. If we expect to be successful in our pursuit of the spiritual disciplines, we must submit to whichever local assembly we belong.

Paul said,

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:19-23).

The world will know the Church by its love. This isn't limited to how we treat each other and those outside the Body (though those are certainly included); it also refers to our love of Christ and His Law. If we love Him, we'll do what He asks, just as Paul indicates in the passage above. This kind of attitude and behaviour doesn't develop overnight, it requires a lifetime of struggle and work.

When we say "work" in this context, we aren't talking about the work of Christ that saves. We're talking about the work on our part to follow and serve Him, to show our gratitude and the reality of our salvation. The spiritual disciplines are integral to this work. Below, we offer a variety of books intended to help you turn every moment to good account, to forsake the desires of the flesh, and to live as Christ commands.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
40th Anniversary from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
101 Hymn Stories - audio book on CD
by Kenneth Osbeck, read by Wayne Shepherd
from Oasis Audio
for 6th-12th grade
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
101 More Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
30 Days to Understanding the Bible
by Max Anders
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 7th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$19.99
After God's Heart
by Myrna Alexander
from Discovery House Publishers
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
All Things For Good
Puritan Paperbacks #17
by Thomas Watson
from Banner of Truth Trust
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$9.00
Arrow Pointing to Heaven
by James Bryan Smith
Revised from B&H Books
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$14.99
Ascent of Mount Carmel
by St. John of the Cross
from Dover Publications
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$11.95
Authentic Faith
by Gary Thomas
from Zondervan
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in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth
by Walter Brueggemann
from Fortress Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Be Still My Soul
by Elisabeth Elliot
from Revell Publishing
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Be Thou My Vision
by Jonathan Gibson
from Crossway Books
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$26.39
Behold, Jesus is Coming!
International Inductive Study Series
by Kay Arthur and David Arthur
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Bible Jesus Read
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$16.99
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
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Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image
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Big Beliefs!
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Book of Psalms
by Timothy R. Botts
from Tyndale House
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Business of Heaven
by C.S. Lewis
Reissue from HarperOne
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$17.99
C.S. Lewis Readings for Meditation and Reflection
by C. S. Lewis
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Celebrating the Sabbath
by Bruce Ray
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$6.99
Celebration of Discipline - 25th Anniversary
by Richard J. Foster
25th Anniversary from HarperCollins
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Celebration of Discipline - 2nd Edition
by Richard J. Foster
Revised & Updated from Harper & Row
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Celtic Book of Days
by Ray Simpson
from Anamchara Books
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$12.50 (1 in stock)
Christian in Complete Armour
by William Gurnall, edited and introduced by James S. Bell, Jr.
from Moody Press
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Christian in Complete Armour - 3 Volume Set
by William Gurnall
from Banner of Truth Trust
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Christian in Complete Armour Volume 1
by William Gurnall
Abridged from Banner of Truth Trust
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Christian in Complete Armour Volume 2
by William Gurnall
Abridged from Banner of Truth Trust
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Christian in Complete Armour Volume 3
by William Gurnall
Abridged from Banner of Truth Trust
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Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America - CD
by Jeff Pollard
from Vision Forum
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$5.00
Christian's Secret of a Happy Life
by Hannah Whitall Smith
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Christian's Secret of a Happy Life
by Hannah Whitall Smith
from Moody Press
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Closer Walk: Spiritual Discoveries from Her Journals
by Catherine Marshall
from Chosen Books
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cloud of Witness
by Edith Mary Gell
Print on Demand Facsimile from Unknown Publisher
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Come Back, Barbara
by C. John Miller & Barbara Miller Juliani
2nd edition from P&R Publishing
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$11.99
Comforting Hearts, Teaching Minds
by Starr Meade
from P&R Publishing
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$15.99
Communion With God
Puritan Paperbacks #19
by John Owen, abridged and made easy to read by R.J.K. Law
Retypeset 2022 from Banner of Truth Trust
for Adult
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$9.00
Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer
by E. M. Bounds
from Baker Books
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Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer
by E. M. Bounds
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Daily Grace for Women
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent
by John Piper
from Crossway Books
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$7.99
Deeper Places
by Matthew Jacoby
from Baker Books
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$14.99
Desiring God
by John Piper
10th edition from Multnomah Books
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$8.00 (2 in stock)
Desiring God
by John Piper
2nd edition from Multnomah Books
for 11th-Adult
in Knowing & Loving God (Location: XCL-KNOW)
$17.99
Developing a Heart For God
by Ron Auch
Rev ed. from New Leaf Press
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$21.99
Diary of an Old Soul
by George MacDonald
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Diary of Private Prayer
by John Baillie
1st Fireside Ed from Touchstone
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Discipline
by Elisabeth Elliot
from Revell Publishing
in Spiritual Disciplines (Location: XCL-SPDI)
$14.99
Discipline
by Elisabeth Elliot
from Revell Publishing
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Discipline of Grace
by Jerry Bridges
from NavPress
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in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Discipline of Grace
by Jerry Bridges
from NavPress
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Discovering Hope in the Psalms
by Pam Farrel, Jean E. Jones, Karla Dornacher
from Harvest House
for Adult
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
E.M. Bounds on Prayer
by E. M. Bounds
from Hendrickson Publishers
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Edges of His Ways
by Amy Carmichael
from Christian Literature Crusade
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Enemy Within
by Kris Lundgaard
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Repentance & Avoiding Sin (Location: XCL-REP)
$9.99
Every Moment Holy Prayer Journal
from Rabbit Room Press
for 6th-Adult
in Family Worship (Location: BIB-FAWO)
$24.99
Every Moment Holy Volume 1
by Douglas McKelvey, Illustrated by Ned Bustard
pocket from Rabbit Room Press
for 6th-Adult
in Family Worship (Location: BIB-FAWO)
$24.99
Every Moment Holy Volume 2
by Douglas McKelvey, Illustrated by Ned Bustard
from Rabbit Room Press
for 6th-Adult
in Family Worship (Location: BIB-FAWO)
$34.99
Every Moment Holy Volume 2
by Douglas McKelvey, Illustrated by Ned Bustard
Pocket Edition from Rabbit Room Press
for 6th-Adult
in Family Worship (Location: BIB-FAWO)
$24.99
Every Moment Holy Volume 3
by Douglas McKelvey and Pete Peterson (editors), Art Direction by Ned Bustard
from Rabbit Room Press
for 6th-Adult
in Family Worship (Location: BIB-FAWO)
$34.99
Everyday Battles
by Bob Schultz
from Boulder Creek Books
for 10th-Adult
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
Family Worship Book
by Terry L. Johnson
from Christian Focus Publications
for 11th-Adult
in Family Worship (Location: BIB-FAWO)
$19.50
Family Worship Hymnal - Standard Edition
by Edward Shewan & Michael McHugh
from Christian Liberty Press
for Adult
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$11.00
Fidelity
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$7.00
Fidelity
by Doug Wilson
Revised from Canon Press
for Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$15.00
Fount of Heaven
by Robert Elmer, editor
from Lexham Press
for Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$24.99
Free Grace and Dying Love
by Susannah Spurgeon, Charles Ray
from Banner of Truth Trust
for Adult
in Devotionals (Location: XCL-DEV)
God is the Gospel
by John Piper
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in The Gospel (Location: XTH-GOS)
$12.50
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh Volume 1
by Klaas Schilder
from Inheritance Publications
for 9th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Growing In Christ
by J. I. Packer
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Knowing & Loving God (Location: XCL-KNOW)
Harmony of the Gospels
by Loraine Boettner
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Heart Aflame
by John Calvin
from P&R Publishing
in Devotionals (Location: XCL-DEV)
$19.99
Heart of Prayer
by Jerram Barrs
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
Heart of the Matter
by Nancy B. Winter
from New Growth Press
for Adult
in Devotionals (Location: XCL-DEV)
$22.99
Hero of Heroes
by Iain Duguid
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Knowing & Loving God (Location: XCL-KNOW)
$9.99
Holiness
by Joel R. Beeke
from Banner of Truth Trust
for Adult
in Pursuing Holiness (Location: XCL-HOLY)
$2.50
Holiness
by J. C. Ryle
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Pursuing Holiness (Location: XCL-HOLY)
$22.95
Holiness
by J. C. Ryle
from Banner of Truth Trust
for Adult
in Pursuing Holiness (Location: XCL-HOLY)
$30.00
How I Know God Answers Prayer
by Rosalind Goforth
Revised from Evangel Publishing House
for Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
$5.99
How Readest Thou?
by J. C. Ryle
from Charles Nolan Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
How to Grow in Christ
by Jack Kinneer
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$6.80
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
by Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. Fee
3rd edition from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$16.99 $8.50 (2 in stock)
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
by Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. Fee
3rd edition from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
Humility
by C. J. Mahaney
from Multnomah Books
for Adult
in Spiritual Disciplines (Location: XCL-SPDI)
$12.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Humility
by Andrew Murray
Revised from Bridge-Logos
for Adult
in Spiritual Disciplines (Location: XCL-SPDI)
Hunger for God
by John Piper
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
Jesus Calling
by Sarah Young
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Adult
in Devotionals (Location: XCL-DEV)
John Ploughman's Talk
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
from Wipf and Stock Publishers
Christian Living for 10th-Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
$15.00
John: 26 Studies for Individuals and Groups
N. T. Wright For Everyone Bible Study Guides
by N. T. Wright
for Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions
by Jonathan Edwards
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$4.99
Knowing God
by J. I. Packer
2nd edition from InterVarsity Press
for 9th-Adult
in Knowing & Loving God (Location: XCL-KNOW)
$20.00
Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
by C. S. Lewis
Reissue from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$13.99
Living by the Book
by Howard Hendricks, William Hendricks
Revised from Moody Press
for 11th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days
by Kay Arthur
Expanded from Harvest House
for Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days
by Kay Arthur
11.1.2008 from Harvest House
for Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
Making Sense of Your Dollars
by Ian Hodge
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for 11th-Adult
in Money Management (Location: SS-MM)
$7.00
Mark of the Christian
by Francis A. Schaeffer
2nd edition from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
$10.00
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