The Christian life is built on three seemingly unremarkable practices: reading the Bible, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. However, according to David Mathis, such “habits of grace” are the God-designed channels through which his glorious grace flows—making them life-giving practices for all Christians. Whether it’s hearing God’s voice (the Word), having his ear (prayer), or participating in his body (fellowship), such spiritual rhythms of the Christian life have the power to awaken our souls to God’s glory and stir our hearts for lifelong service in his name. What’s more, these seemingly simple practices grant us access to a host of spiritual blessings that we can only begin to imagine this side of eternity—and the incredible joy that such blessings bring to God’s children today.
“Scripture memory, at its best, is about feeding your soul today and mapping your life and mind onto the very life and mind of God.” (source)
“My hope is that this will help you move toward application in your own practices by making clear that the point isn’t to practice at all times in one’s Christian walk every single specific discipline addressed, but to understand the key pathways of ongoing grace and seek to create regular habits for these principles in life.” (source)
“The fundamental means of God’s ongoing grace, through his Spirit, in the life of the Christian and the life of the church is God’s self-expression in his Word, in the gospel, perfectly kept for us and on display in all its textures, riches, and hues in the external written word of the Scriptures.” (source)
“God’s work does not make our work unnecessary; it makes it possible.” (source)
“God is shamelessly pouring out his lavish favor on undeserving sinners of all stripes and thoroughly stripping away our self-sufficiency.” (source)
“This book is about grace-empowered habits, and
Spirit-empowered disciplines. These are the means God has
given for drinking at the fountain of life. They don’t earn the
enjoyment. They receive it. They are not payments for pleasure;
they are pipelines. All of us leak. We all need inspiration and
instruction for how to drink—again and again. Habitually. If you
have never read a book on ‘habits of grace’ or ‘spiritual
disciplines,’ start with this one. If you are a veteran lover of
the river of God, but, for some reason, have recently been
wandering aimlessly in the desert, this book will be a good way
back.”
—John Piper, Founder and Teacher, desiringGod.org;
Chancellor, Bethlehem College & Seminary; author, Desiring
God
“Simple. Practical. Helpful. In Habits of Grace, Mathis
writes brilliantly about three core spiritual disciplines that will
help us realign our lives and strengthen our faith. In a world
where everything seems to be getting more complicated, this book
will help us to downshift and refocus on the things that matter
most.”
—Louie Giglio, Pastor, Passion City Church,
Atlanta; Founder, Passion Conferences; author, The
Comeback
“Although this little book says what many others say about Bible
reading, prayer, and Christian fellowship (with two or three others
tacked on), its great strength and beauty is that it nurtures my
resolve to read the Bible and it makes me hungry to pray. If the
so-called ‘means of grace’ are laid out as nothing more than
duties, the hinge of sanctification is obligation. But in this
case, the means of grace are rightly perceived as gracious gifts
and signs that God is at work in us, which increases our joy as we
stand on the cusp of Christian freedom under the glories of King
Jesus.”
—D. A. Carson, Cofounder and
Theologian-at-Large, The Gospel Coalition
“Most people assume that disciplined training is necessary for
attaining any skill— professional, academic, or athletic. But for
some reason, Christians do not see this principle applying to their
Christian lives. In his excellent book, Habits of Grace,
David Mathis makes a compelling case for the importance of the
spiritual disciplines, and he does so in such a winsome way that
will motivate all of us to practice the spiritual disciplines of
the Christian life. This book will be great both for new believers
just starting on their journey and as a refresher course for those
of us already along the way.”
—Jerry Bridges, author, The Pursuit of
Holiness
“David Mathis has more than accomplished his goal of writing an
introduction to the spiritual disciplines. What I love most about
the book is how Mathis presents the disciplines—or ‘means of grace’
as he prefers to describe them—as habits to be cultivated in order
to enjoy Jesus. The biblical practices Mathis explains are not
ends—that was the mistake of the Pharisees in Jesus’s day and of
legalists in our time. Rather they are means by which we seek,
savor, and enjoy Jesus Christ. May the Lord use this book to help
you place yourself ‘in the way of allurement’ that results in an
increase of your joy in Jesus.”
—Donald S. Whitney, Professor of Biblical
Spirituality and Associate Dean, The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary; author, Family Worship; Praying the
Bible; and Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian
Life
“So often, as we consider the spiritual disciplines, we think of
what we must do individually. Mathis takes a different approach
that is both insightful and refreshing. Along with our personal
time of prayer and reading, we are encouraged to seek advice from
seasoned saints, have conversations about Bible study with others,
and pray together. The Christian life, including the disciplines,
isn’t meant to be done in isolation. Mathis’s depth of biblical
knowledge along with his practical guidance and gracious delivery
will leave you eager to pursue the disciplines, shored up by the
grace of God.”
—Trillia Newbell, author, If God Is For Us:
The Everlasting Truth of Our Great Salvation
“This is the kind of book I turn to periodically to help examine
and recalibrate my heart, my priorities, and my walk with the Lord.
David Mathis has given us a primer for experiencing and exuding
ever-growing delight in Christ through grace-initiated intentional
habits that facilitate the flow of yet fuller springs of grace into
and through our lives.”
—Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author; Founder,
Revive Our Hearts and True Woman
“There is not a Christian in the world who has mastered the
spiritual disciplines. In fact, the more we grow in grace, the more
we realize how little we know of hearing from God, speaking to God,
and meditating on God. Our maturity reveals our inadequacy.
Habits of Grace is a powerful guide to the spiritual
disciplines. It offers basic instructions to new believers while
bringing fresh encouragement to those who have walked with the Lord
for many years. It is a joy to commend it to you.”
—Tim Challies, blogger, Challies.com
“When I was growing up, spiritual disciplines were often
surrounded by an air of legalism. But today the pendulum has swung
in the other direction: it seems that family and private devotions
have fallen off the radar. The very word habits can be a
turnoff, especially in a culture of distraction and autonomy. Yet
character is largely a bundle of habits. Christ promises to bless
us through his means of grace: his Word preached and written,
baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Like a baby’s first cry, prayer is
the beginning of that life of response to grace given, and we never
grow out of it. Besides prayer, there are other habits that grace
motivates and shapes. I’m grateful for Habits of Grace
bringing the disciplines back into the conversation and, hopefully,
back into our practice as well.”
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor
of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary
California
“David Mathis has given us a book on the spiritual disciplines
that is practical, actionable, and accessible. He speaks with a
voice that neither scolds nor overwhelms, offering encouragement
through suggestions and insights to help even the newest believer
find a rhythm by which to employ these means of grace. A treatment
of the topic that is wonderfully uncomplicated and thorough,
Habits of Grace offers both a place to start for beginners
and a path to grow for those seasoned in the faith.”
—Jen Wilkin, Bible teacher; author, Women
of the Word; None Like Him; and In His
Image
“I am drawn to books that I know are first lived out in the
messiness of life before finding their way onto clean sheets of
paper. This is one of those books! David has found a well-worn path
to Jesus through the habits of grace he commends to us. I am
extremely grateful for David’s commitment to take the timeless
message in this book and communicate it in language that is winsome
to the mind and warm to the heart. This book has the breadth of a
literature review that reads like a devotional. I am eager to get
it into the hands of our campus ministry staff and see it being
read in dorm rooms and student centers across the country.”
—Matt Bradner, Regional Director, Campus
Outreach
“David Mathis has provided us with a gospel-driven,
Word-centered, Christ-exalting vision of Christian spiritual
practices. Furthermore, he understands that sanctification is a
community project: the local church rightly looms large in
Habits of Grace. This book is perfect for small group
study, devotional reading, or for passing on to a friend who is
thinking about this topic for the first time. I give it my highest
recommendation.”
—Nathan A. Finn, Provost and Dean of the
University Faculty, North Greenville University
David Mathis serves as executive editor at desiringGod.org, pastor at Cities Church, and adjunct professor at Bethlehem College and Seminary. He is the coauthor (with Jonathan Parnell) of How to Stay Christian in Seminary.