I have just gone back again to this book and it is an even better read and bigger challenge this time round. We have just started considering it in our ladies study group and our first session was challenging, heart warming and so encouraging.
The title can be a bit off putting as most of us naturally don’t like the thought of discipline and hard work especially it seems when it comes to godliness – we expect a quick fix and to be holy overnight. Barbara Hughes shows us that discipline is vital if we are going to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. She argues that discipline is our life line to a God centred, satisfied, full life and that we will come to embrace it as more of a delight than a duty.
The key message of the book is submission to God’s will and she outlines in 17 chapters how this works out in our lives. These chapters look at subjects such as the Discipline of contentment, the Discipline of singleness and the Discipline of Good deeds – all in all a really comprehensive look at how the Gospel affects every aspect of our lives.
The book lends itself to either personal study or as a group study book. There are questions at the end of each chapter to help you ‘renew your mind’ and also a list of resources at the end as you pursue godliness. I’m looking forward to the challenge of considering it’s teaching again with the women in our Church