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Being Whitney’s most well-known book, it is a readable and yet, at times, profound volume on spiritual disciplines. The writing style is very accessible (it won a few laughs). The verse that provides impetus to his examination (and to his whole ministry) is 1 Timothy 4:7.
Discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness. (NASB)
This is just one among several books being published every year concerning the purpose and practice of prayer, fasting, stewardship, time management, etc., but is clearly at the top with other Christian classics such as “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster and “The Spirit of the Disciplines” by Dallas Willard.
Whitney systematically goes through the different spiritual disciplines and draws from Scripture passages that should fundamentally shape our understanding of how to practice them. The disciplines he covers are:
Bible Intake
Prayer
Worship
Evangelism
Serving
Stewardship*
Fasting
Silence and Solitude*
Journaling*
Learning
*Chapters I found most rewarding
What I really appreciated was Whitney’s last chapter, titled “Perseverance in the Disciplines.” An excellent topic to cover in any volume on the disciplines. There are still nuggets of gold hidden throughout this book despite the breadth of its topic and the low page count.
Interesting thought…
One idea Whitney proposed has stuck with me. Many times, when tithing, we simply combine all our month’s worth of tithing into one Sunday. But what, in essence, is tithing? Worship. God is glorified when we make sacrifices, and when we worship we glorify God. So what Whitney suggests is tithe every Sunday instead of all at once, thus keeping sacrificial worship at the forefront of your mind.
Practical thoughts…
Practice as You Read
Reading this book can really get you fired up for the spiritual disciplines. Just reading about them may bring you a sense of satisfaction! But the temptation is to get excited about practicing these disciplines, but as soon as you finish the book you find yourself too lazy to do them. Practice what you read the very day you read it! Don’t wait till after you finish the book to put what you’ve learned into your quiet times (Meditation), Sunday morning tithing (Stewardship), etc.
Read it Chapter by Chapter
Don’t rush through this book. Read at most one chapter a day and put it into practice. This is “practical” theology, practice the theology your reading before learning more.
Buy It Cheap
There are some books that you want a more expensive edition (cloth-bound is premium) that can last you a lifetime. But this is a book that you want to stuff in your backpack, write all over it and really engage with it. Buy it used and cheap.
About the Author
Donald S. Whitney is the Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored six books, including Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, and is a popular conference speaker, especially on personal and congregational spirituality. He served in pastoral ministry for twenty-four years. (from SBTS Faculty Bios)
