An App for Holiness?

 

“I’m convinced that watches that track your exercise patterns don’t really help people get fit,” I said.  “I think they just help people feel good about the level of activity they already have.”

“I don’t think so,” the man next to me said.  “I get pretty competitive with it and really get focused when I have a long exercise streak going.”

“I’m probably a little cynical because I see a lot of overweight people wearing them,” I said.  Then, I added, almost as an afterthought.  “You know, it’s too bad that there isn’t a watch that keeps track of spiritual disciplines for you.”

“That would be interesting.”

“You know, have a feature that keeps track of church attendance, Bible reading, and prayer?  It would tell you when you are on a good streak of activities that are healthy from a spiritual standpoint,” I said.

“It would probably help some people,” the other man said with a laugh.

I continued thinking about the subject.  I am sure that some people would react negatively to such a watch feature.  It would seem too much like trying to curry favor with God or earn His approval.

Maybe the exercise comparison is a good one.  We exercise in order to build muscles and in the same way, there are things that, throughout history, Christians have relied on to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

We call these things Spiritual Disciplines.

Paul told Timothy, “Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it hold promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (I Tim. 4:7,8)  The Christian life is not something that simply happens.  There are an awful lot of flabby, out of shape Christians these days and it isn't because God is less powerful or real.

Spiritual disciplines are out of favor these days.  They seem like the sorts of things the Pharisees would do to prove the fact that they had more holiness than anyone else around.  If you are doing these things to look holy or boost your ego, then they are wasted time and effort.

I believe there is benefit to them. Strong Christians in every era have made an effort to practice them regularly – even though they never had a watch or app that encouraged them in their exercises.