Disciplines of a Godly Man (Updated Edition): With Studyguide

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Generally, I think a resolution is setting yourself up for failure, but it doesn't mean you ought not to make a resolution. There are people that make a resolution after the holidays to lose fifty pounds, and they do. A lot of them fail. But without the resolution, they wouldn't lose it, right? One of the things that I would say is that we tend to make extreme resolutions. For instance, I would rather have someone say to me, I'm going to read the Bible all the way through next year. I would say, No, why don't you read the Gospels all the way through next year and think about it as you read it. There's nothing in the Bible that says you have to read the Scriptures through once a year. I think it's a great habit, a lot of people do it, but I would say do something that's manageable that you won't fail at. Does that make sense? That being said, a few men in our congregation went through this book together, and I think that's probably the best approach for a few reasons: Self-love: ...In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

And they know that what they say reveals who they are (Luke 6:45). They tremble over the consequences of sentences. They work to make their words a deeper and fuller well of grace. Seven Lessons for What We Say I am so weary of the peculiar therapeutic atmosphere in which we live today that is scared stiff to tell anybody to do anything or to warn anybody of dangerous consequences of failing to take responsibility for his or her life. . . . So to open [ Disciplines of a Godly Man] and find someone taking seriously the biblical call for ‘agonizing to enter the kingdom’ and striving like a gymnast to become godly and boxing and sweating like a champion to get victory over sin is the most refreshing thing I could have set my eyes on. So thank you for your courage and for swimming against the stream. May the Lord cause your book to run and the truth in it to be glorified and obeyed." It's almost a new year. A lot of people are thinking about New Year's resolutions, and maybe they're recognizing some bad habits that have crept in, whether that's related to entertainment or something else. What do you think about New Year's resolutions when it comes to spiritual disciplines? Is that a good idea, or do you feel like that's maybe setting yourself up for failure in some way?For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8) We will never get anywhere in life without discipline, be it the arts, the trades, business, athletics, or academics. . . . This is doubly so in spiritual matters. . . . none of us can claim an innate spiritual advantage. In reality, we are all equally disadvantaged. None of us naturally seeks after God . . . . Therefore, as children of grace, our spiritual discipline is everything—everything! I think there's a couple of things. One, it is straightforward. In that sense, it's manly and direct. In other words, the chapters are pretty hard-hitting. Whether you like them or not, they're in your face and they come at you. The other thing is that almost every chapter begins anecdotally or with a story that then feeds into what the biblical text is, then applies the text, and then has practical applications at the end. Each of the chapters are written to really engage you right from the beginning, so those are some of the reasons. 06:45 - The Necessity of Spiritual Discipline

On that point, I could imagine that some people listening right now might be thinking: You've been a Christian for a long time, Dr. Hughes. You've served as a pastor for decades, you've taught seminary students as a professor of practical theology, and you even wrote a best-selling book on the spiritual disciplines. Even with all of that under your belt, do you ever still struggle when it comes to consistently practicing these disciplines in your own life, or at least feeling a desire to do so? Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6) Samuell 5 records David's initial assumption of power and documents that David took on additional wives and concubines from Jerusalem. Deuteronomy 17 set the standards for Hebrew kings and commands abstention from three things: acquiring many horses, taking many wives (v17), and accumulating much silver or gold. " David's embrace of socially-permitted sensuality desensitized himself to God's call and made him easy prey for the fatal sin of his life" [pg. 34].

An Interview with Robert George

In our own time Winston Churchill has been rightly proclaimed the speaker of the century, and few who have heard his eloquent speeches would disagree. Still fewer would suspect he was anything but a natural. But the truth is, Churchill had a distracting lisp which made him the butt of many jokes and resulted in his inability to be spontaneous in public speaking. Yet he became famous for his speeches and his seemingly impromptu remarks. Suffering: "When Christ 'gave himself up' for us, he not only died, he suffered. And his suffering was not only the cross, but it was and is suffering that comes from identification with his bride, the church." Words really do matter. Jesus himself says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37). Every careless word. Men of God learn to trade careless words for thoughtful ones. While many today speak, text, and tweet whatever they think or feel without a second thought, these men weigh the serious weight of what they say. They speak as if God is listening, because he is.

Hebrews 12:1–3 presents a picture of perseverance in four commands. Divest! “Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” (v. 1). That includes besetting sin, and anything else that hinders. Run! “. . . with endurance the race that is set before us” (v. 1). Each of us can finish our race (see also 2 Tim. 4:7). Focus! “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (v. 2). There never was a millisecond that he did not trust the Father. Consider! Our life is to be spent considering how Jesus lived (v. 3).This updated edition of a bestselling classic by a seasoned pastor aims to empower men to take seriously the call to godliness and direct their energy toward the things that matter most.

Michelangelo’s, da Vinci’s, and Tintoretto’s multitudes of sketches, the quantitative discipline of their work, prepared the way for the cosmic quality of their work. We wonder at the anatomical perfection of a da Vinci painting. But we forget that Leonardo da Vinci on one occasion drew a thousand hands. ⁵ In the last century Matisse explained his own mastery, remarking that the difficulty with many who wanted to be artists is that they spend their time chasing models rather than painting them.⁶ Again the discipline factor! I am so weary of the peculiar therapeutic atmosphere in which we live today that is scared stiff to tell anybody to do anything or to warn anybody of dangerous consequences of failing to take responsibility for his or her life. So to find someone taking seriously the biblical call for ‘agonizing to enter the kingdom’ and striving like a gymnast to become godly and boxing and sweating like a champion to get victory over sin is the most refreshing thing I could have set my eyes on.” - John Piper, Founder and Teacher, desiringGod.org; Chancellor, Bethlehem College & Seminary; author, Desiring God The events following his repentance: his baby died, his daughter Tamar was raped by her half-brother Ammon, Ammon was murdered by Tamar's full brother Absalom, and Absalom (loathing his father for his moral turpitude) eventually came to lead a rebellion under the tutelage of Bathsheba's resentful grandfather, Ahithophel. David's throne never regained its former stability.R. Kent Hughes (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and visiting professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hughes is also a founder of the Charles Simeon Trust, which conducts expository preaching conferences throughout North America and worldwide. He serves as the series editor for the Preaching the Word commentary series and is the author or coauthor of many books. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, and have four children and an ever-increasing number of grandchildren. So, “strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12), especially in what you say. 4. Avoid all foolishness and filthiness. Such a beautiful truth that we can hold onto even in the midst of our own weakness. Speak to the Christian listening right now who maybe is especially aware of his or her own weaknesses on this front. Maybe they've been listening to you talk today and they're feeling like, Man, he is so far ahead of me. I could never get to that point; or maybe even worse, I've neglected these things for years, maybe even decades. They just feel discouraged because, in their mind, so much time is perhaps lost. What would you say to that person?