“Habits of Grace” = Spiritual Disciplines

“The means of grace fill our tank for the pursuit of joy, for the good of others, and for the glory of God. . . .

And they are spiritual blessings—not mere disciplines, but channels through which God gives us spiritual food for our survival, growth, and flourishing in the mission.”

– David Mathis

Another book on spiritual disciplines?

I hadn’t planned on picking this one up. I’ve read several books already on the spiritual disciplines (very good ones too), but I know enough that sometimes you need to lay the books aside and just DO the disciplines.

Well, I’m glad I changed my mind.

Habits of Grace deserved to be read precisely so that I will practice the disciplines more.

“Spiritual growth is a marvelous effect of such practices, but in a sense it is only a side effect. The heart is knowing and enjoying Jesus.”
– David Mathis

Simple Structure

Author David Mathis doesn’t claim this is a be-all, end-all book about spiritual disciplines. Instead, he focuses on three main areas:

1. Hearing God’s Voice (Word)

• Reading the Bible
• Preaching the Gospel
• Bible Memory

2. Having God’s Ear (Prayer)

• Private Prayer
• Praying with Company
• Journaling

3. Belonging to God’s Body (Fellowship)

• Lessons in Listening
• Benefits of Corporate Worship
• Grace at the Table

Practical

Mathis is incredibly practical in each area, giving tips on a variety of ways to walk through each discipline. If you like numbered lists (I do), you’ll love his writing style.

Humble

Maybe this isn’t important for everyone, but I really, really loved the humility in Mathis’ writing voice (and his videos I’ve watched–-sign up here for 5 free email videos; they’re good!). He doesn’t claim to be know it all and he doesn’t declare that each discipline must be performed a certain way or even at all. He is gentle in his tone and thus encouraging instead of patronizing or guilt-inducing.

Grace-filled

Grace is what I hear in this book and that’s exactly what I need to live out these different habits, not to earn a relationship with God, but to keep our relationship active and fresh and powerful.

As with any book, I didn’t agree with everything, but I agreed with more than enough to recommend it as a useful guide to anyone wanting to grow in simple, daily habits of blessing in their walk with Jesus and others.

Quotes by David Mathis in Habits of Grace

“The Bible is gloriously for us, but it is not mainly about us. We come most deeply because of whom we will see, not for what we must do.”

~ * ~ * ~

“Scripture memory, at its best, is about feeding your soul today and mapping your life and mind onto the very life and mind of God.”

~ * ~ * ~

“He is even more ready to hear us than we are to pray.”

~ * ~ * ~

“This is the heart of prayer— not getting things from God, but getting God.”

~ * ~ * ~

“Nowhere does Scripture command that we keep a journal. Unlike other spiritual disciplines, Jesus left us no model for journaling; he did not keep one. Journaling is not essential to the Christian life. But it is a powerful opportunity, especially with the technologies we have available today.”

~ * ~ * ~

“Solitude is a kind of companion to fellowship, a fasting from other people, to make our return to them all the better. And silence is a fasting from noise and talk, to improve our listening and speaking.”

~ * ~ * ~

“Worship is an end in itself. We do not eat the feast of worship as a means to anything else. Happiness in God [which is the heart of worship] is the end of all our seeking. Nothing beyond it can be sought as a higher goal.”

~ * ~ * ~

“The secret of joy in corporate worship is not only self-forgetfulness—or to put it positively, preoccupation with Jesus and his glory—but also the happy awareness that we are not alone in having our souls satisfied in him.”

~ * ~ * ~

“It is loving (to others) to regularly commune with God. There are good horizontal effects to having our souls established and flourishing vertically.”

~ * ~ * ~

“You will be a better spouse and parent and friend and cousin and child and neighbor if your soul is being routinely shaped and sustained by a real relationship with God in his word and prayer. Sometimes, the most loving thing we can do is get away from people for a few minutes, feed our souls on God and his goodness, and come back to our families and communities reenergized for anticipating and meeting others’ needs.”

~ * ~ * ~

“Knowing and enjoying Jesus is the final end of hearing his voice, having his ear, and belonging to his body.”

* * *

Which spiritual discipline do you practice the most? Do you have a favorite book on spiritual disciplines? Please share in the comments.

• Read more excerpts and articles from Habits of Grace at Desiring God
• If you’re interested, Crossway is offering this free email course with five short videos from David Mathis on Habits of Grace, which I enjoyed
• My excerpt from Habits of Grace “5 Tips for Better Journaling” is here

Thanks to Crossway
for the review copy of this book

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