Spirituality Part Two
 

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:1

In Spirituality Part One, we were reminded that Paul's desire was for the Corinthian believers to be spiritual not carnal, fleshly minded, or babes. Spiritual believers are maturing believers. Maturity is the result of spiritual discipline. The process of spiritual growth comes from both the disciplines of abstinence and engagement. One very important warning is necessary. Spirituality isn't found in the process. Just because we do certain things doesn't make us spiritual. Spirituality is the goal of the process. The process is the pathway to spirituality not spirituality in itself. The purpose of the process is produce the changes in our lives bring us into conformity with the image of Christ. The image is that of character.  Let us now consider the disciplines of abstinence.

In our desire to know God and to mature spiritually, there are times when we need to abstain to some degree from the satisfactions we generally regard as normal and legitimate desires.

Legitimate acts of abstinence are:

1. Solitude: choosing to be alone and to dwell on our experience of isolation from other human beings. Solitude is generally the most fundamental in the beginning of the spiritual life, and a must to be returned to again and again as that life develops.
2. Silence: goes beyond solitude. It is more than not speaking; it is also listening and observing things and people.
3. Fasting: we abstain in some significant way from food and possibly drink. It confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food. It teaches temperance or self-control, therefore teaches moderation and restraint with regard to all our fundamental drives.
4. Frugality: we abstain from using money or goods at our disposal in ways that merely gratify our desires or our hunger for status, glamour or luxury.

Again a remember that the value of these disciplines is not in themselves but they are tools God can use in the process of discipleship to bring about the changes that are needed to bring us into greater conformity to Christ.