The TRUE VALUE of SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
March 18 Bible
Reading: Judges Chapters 19-21
The TRUE VALUE of SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
The book
of Judges chronicles the dark ages in the history of Israel, as it sums up the
three hundred years of the Israelites in Canaan after the death of Joshua with
these words: "In those days there
was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges
21:25). This whole episode of the vile abuse of the Levite priest’s concubine
by the wicked men of Gibeah from Benjamin, and the resulting war between the
tribe of Benjamin and the other eleven tribes of Israel took place as a result
of one major factor – the lack of any
leadership in Israel. "And it
came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel..."
(Judges 19:1a). There was anarchy
and the prevailing disorder in
Israel as there was no one to implement
God’s rules and set boundaries for the Israelites. This further set to a disappearance of spiritual values that
are inherent in a godly society. "Where
there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there
is safety" (Prov 11:14).
There is a true value of having
spiritual disciplines in our lives. In order to implement spiritual disciplines in the lives of
the believers, God has appointed spiritual leadership in the church and given
them set responsibilities. "Preach
the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with
all longsuffering and teaching" (2 Tim 4:2). Every believer is
required to submit under the spiritual leadership and God’s word. "Obey those who rule over you, and be
submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.
Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for
you" (Heb 13:17).
Let us strictly follow Apostle Paul’s example in our daily living: "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Cor 9:27)
