“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."- Matthew 18:20
 
The other night, my daughter and I enjoyed the warm night air as we walked around the track at our local football field. As we walked, my daughter kept stopping, complaining of boredom and a sudden onset of stomach cramps. Frustrated, I walked ahead of her, determined to get in a much needed cardio workout. Suddenly, I felt the Lord whisper in my ear “Isn’t the point of this walk to enjoy some quality time with your daughter?” I stopped abruptly, turned 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and caught up to my daughter. For one night, it didn’t matter how many calories I burned or how much exercise I needed. That moment. I dropped my agenda and enjoyed walking and talking with my daughter.
 
If I’m honest it is like this in every area of my life, including my spiritual life. I often approach my prayer time with my agenda of prayer requests, ready to check it off my mental to do list and eager to get on with my day. But God wants more from us than just a laundry list of wishes to grant like he’s some genie in a bottle. He wants me. Not just part of me, but all of me. He doesn’t just want me to walk in isolation in my spiritual journey, He wants me to partner with other. Sometimes He wants me to catch up to those struggling in their walks, willing to trade my agenda for His. Other times He wants me to sprint to catch up to those further on in the distance to catch up with those who will push me to grow in my walk. We were never meant to walk this journey alone. Life is so much better when I do it with others.
 
Lord, help is partner with others and walk along our spiritual journey together.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
 
As I put on my workout clothes and began stretching my body, I stared out the window and sighed. It rained non- stop over the past few weeks. It would be easy to make excuses as to why I couldn’t go out and run.
The ground is too wet.
I’m too tired.
I can do it tomorrow.
I had been working hard all week; I can make it up next week.
 
No one would have known if I had forsaken my commitment to train for a 5k. But I’d know and sometimes I’m the hardest person to disappoint.
 
It’s the same in my life as a disciple. The busyness of life sometimes keeps me from regular devotion time. One week turns into two weeks, two weeks into a month, and then soon I can’t remember how long it’s been since I had spent time alone with God. In the same way, I want to make excuses rather than run each day to train for a 5 k. It’s always easier to make excuses instead of doing the hard work of discipleship.  But if I do the work each day of studying the word of God, practicing disciplines like silence and fasting, my faith stretches and grows. Just like each half hour I dedicate to running, my lung capacity grows, too.
 
It’s hard, much like life. But when I’m huffing and puffing my way to the finish line when my training is over, the still small voice tells me to keep going, because although the tough times may seem long, they soon give way to perseverance and hope.
 
And that’s what makes it all worth it.
 
Lord, give us the endurance to stretch our spiritual growth so we may reach the finish line. Amen.

God calls us to a much larger mission than to come together on a Sunday service as individuals just to get a spiritual filling. As His people, we glorify Him when we use our gifts in a tangible way to serve the people in our churches and then as a collective body meet the needs of our communities. We connect when we serve each other.
The ways that we connect others to a community not only to meet their need for intimacy but also empower them to connect to others are the ripple effect we create. One person investing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually into others in the hopes they will then pay it forward. That’s how Jesus ministered to His disciples and that’s how fruit is produced. Not just any fruit, but good fruit, the fruit that lasts.
Christians need to ask themselves, “What’s my story?” What experiences, circumstances or situations has God put me through that I can learn from and in turn edify the people God puts in my path? Your stories are not just random coincidences; they are opportunities to glorify God and bring the good news to a dying world.
            To participate in other people’s stories is to embrace God’s greater mission, the one he writes for each of His children as they seek to know him and transform into his image. As church members embrace and understand the bigger mission of their role in the church body, they can help lead and guide everyone into a healthy discipleship relationship, each giving of themselves to achieve the desired result: spiritual growth.
 

Discipleship Requires Intention
Being a pastor’s wife for many years, I know how extensive and tedious the role of discipleship can be. I also know that even Jesus knew he could not impact the world alone. He poured his life into twelve other men who then in turn poured their lives into their community. I must invest in just a few disciples at a time, like Jesus did, and prepare them to disciple others.
But what is discipleship without an ultimate goal? The link between success and failure involves the ability to carry out the purpose with intention. I have a purpose in mind when making disciples, but if I don’t intend to follow through with the plan to achieve the purpose, what good is it?  
Dallas Willard, in his book Renovation of the Heart talks about three keys to spiritual formation. He calls it the VIM diagram: Vision, Intention and Action. We have a vision for a goal to be transformed, we make an intention, or as Willard says: we decide to do it, and then we do it. We can have all of the visions for our life. We can even make a decision to do it. But, if there is no intention to it, we never follow through with the steps necessary to make that vision a reality. Willard explains, “Now, an intention is brought to completion only by a decision to fulfill or carry through with the intention… If the genuine intention is there, the deed reliably follows. But if it is not there, the deed will most likely not be there either.”1 We may have the good intentions to make disciples, but without a clear vision (which we will discuss in depth in chapter eleven), and then creating a plan after deciding to follow through with it, it will never happen. 
This is where small groups come in. The accountability small groups provide help us to follow through with our calling to make disciples. Small groups provide accountability, help and support when discipleship becomes too difficult to do on our own.
Are you involved in a small group? How has being a part of a community helped you develop as a Christian? Share your stories below!


1 Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart. (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 2002).

 
“And He came to the disciples, and they were sleeping and said to Peter ‘So, your men could not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”’ Matthew 26:40.
 
The world seems to be out of control. The economy is unstable, the political system is turbulent and the state of Christianity is unsure. This is no different than what Jesus experienced in his day. He lived in a country where the rulers wanted to kill him, He was away from His father, and even his disciples let him down. But much like the disciples, our flesh can become weak, too, stifling the work God has called us to do.
 
Mark Batterson, author of Draw the circle says, “The disciples let Jesus down when he needed them the most. Their failure didn’t just hurt Jesus; Jesus knew that it would hurt them… Would Peter have disowned Jesus if he had been praying instead of sleeping? Maybe he let Jesus down because he wasn’t prayed up? While I can’t prove it, I think Peter would have passed the temptation test if he had prayed through. “
 
It is so important to keep watch for temptation that intends to thwart us from the task at hand. Because even though we may feel strong, the fatigue of life can overcome us, allowing us to succumb to its wiles.
 
Wake up to the temptations around you. Be accountable to other brothers and sisters who will help you stay awake. Drink your daily “coffee” of the Word and prayer, the two things that will wake you up and keep you going in your walk with God each day. Finally, if you do fall prey to sin, confess it to God. Strive to make yourselves right before Him.

One Sunday, during one of his sermons, my husband challenged the congregation to participate in spiritual disciplines that will help them grow in their walk with God. One of the disciplines is fasting, which for me is one of the most difficult to do on a regular basis.
 
Why is it so difficult to fast? Because it’s uncomfortable.
 
One of my fasts a couple of weeks ago was particularly hard. Not only was I starving by noon, I was craving certain foods. There is nothing worse than knowing you can’t have food, and wanting nothing more than to sink your teeth into a double cheeseburger smothered in cheese, ketchup, lettuce and tomatoes (is your mouth watering yet?) By the time 3 pm came and my kids came home from school, opening the pantry and ripping into their afternoon snacks, I had had it. When my husband asked “When do you want t have dinner?” I quickly replied, “As soon as possible.” When He asked what I wanted, I didn’t hesitate, “A double cheeseburger, please.”
 
Fasting takes us out of my comfort zone. The physical effects of the discipline—headache, fatigue, weakness, and pain when hungry) puts us in a position where we have to rely on God fully to get through it. Sometimes the physical effects overpower the spiritual effects of focusing on the Lord. Over the years I have done this, I have learned one important lesson:
 
If you want to grow, you have to be hungry.
 
Physical hunger is much like spiritual hunger. The less hunger we experience in our spiritual lives, the less likely we will want to hunger after God. The same goes for physical hunger—the less “full” we feel physically, the more we desire the food that nourishes our bodies. Perhaps that’s why the psalmist wrote “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
 
God wants us to taste and see that he is good. This requires us to hunger after Him. To hunger after Him means to be uncomfortable. Are you wiling to hunger after God?

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” John 21:1-6.
I’ve always been fascinated by this passage of Scripture. The disciples just received word that Jesus has died and he has been placed in the tomb. Three days later, He rises and appears to them in the place where they are hiding out because they live in fear of the Jewish leaders. They are so afraid they think He is a ghost! Once they realize it is truly Him, they are overjoyed. Then He leaves, and they are stuck waiting to see what to do next. I can imagine how confused the disciples were. So, what do they do while they wait? They go fishing.
What?
My husband is a huge fan of fishing, but I can’t imagine that He would go fishing after a miraculous event such as Jesus appearing to Him. Yet, the disciples go back to doing what they know to do because they don’t know what else to do while they waiting.
So often we jump ahead of God and go back to what’s familiar or comfortable simply because it’s all we know. The disciples, confused by what they should next, went back to the doing what they knew how to do: fishing. How often do we go back to our habits simply because we don’t know what else to do?
Instead of filling our time with the familiar, we can pray and ask God to put people and circumstances in our path so we can serve the Lord while we ware waiting for that next career or relationship or event to occur. God is always speaking, we just have to patient and aware enough to discern what that is.
 

I’m the Favorite
 “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.…” 1 Corinthians 12:14-16.
 
Watching TV the other day, I saw a segment on the local news titled “Are you picking favorites?” The segment was about when parents treat one child more favorably than the other it causes the other child to feel neglected, inflicting painful emotional wounds that can stay with them into adulthood.
Having been the youngest in my family of four, I can personally attest to the truth of that statement. I grew up in a home where my sister was favored, which caused me to constantly want to win my mother’s approval. This carried on into every relationship in my life including my relationship with God.
 
But this is nothing new. The Old Testament cites numerous examples of families where one child is favored over another, and the devastating effect it had on the family dynamic. But when Jesus came to earth, he abolished the sin of favortism. He offered everyone an opportunity for freedom.
 
Perhaps you have felt unfavored in your relationship with God. After a long day at work, you spend more long hours shuttling kids back and forth to sports practices, managing your home and helping your husband with little to show for it. It can seem like what you do is unimportant, unseen and unappreciated.
 
But Jesus came to save all of us. He loves you no matter what season of life you are in right now. Whether you are changing numerous diapers or the CEO of a big company, God sees everything you do. Most importantly, he sees you too.
 
You are God’s favorite, and that’s the best role of all.
 
Lord, help us to bask in the live you have for us as your favorite. Amen.

We're finished! Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. I hope over the past month you have watered your seeds, cultivated your soil and are now reaping the benefits of the growth that is taking place in your lie because of it! Here are some takeaways from this month;s series "31 Days of Spiritual Cultivation"

Although pruning is hard, it is necessary for spiritual growth

Pulling out the weeds helps you (and the world) separate the life from the death living within you.

Seeds may look small and plain, but contain within them everything they need to grow the most beautiful plants and flowers

When you cultivate your soil, fruit will always come through

We are commanded to bear fruit and we do that through our actions

What was one thing you learned about yourself or about scripture as a result of this series? Comment below.

Richard Foster, author of the book Celebrating the Disciplines, says this about our practice of spiritual disciplines when it comes to our growth:
 "The Disciplines are God’s way of getting us into the ground; they put us where he can work within us and transform us. By themselves the Spiritual disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done. They are God’s means of grace."
 
Throughout this series, we have talked about all the ways we can grow- from practicing spiritual disciplines, to surrounding ourselves with people within our community to help us along the path to maturity to ridding ourselves of the sin that prevents us from bearing the fruit that impacts others for the Kingdom. This quote from David Foster summarizes the essence of what I hoped to achieve through this series. God places us in the ground, expecting we will transform into the people whom God can call His children so we can, in turn, transform others so they can do the same.
 
What have you learned through this series? Did God reveal a sin that you need to rid yourself of so you can be the person god wants you to be? Do you need someone who can hold you accountable and walk with you side-by-side through this journey? Do you need to try a new discipline so you can continue to transform your life? Comment below so we can learn from all of you. 
 
May God bless you as you continue on your journey through spiritual cultivation.