Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Week 5: Chapter 4 — Study

Read Chapter 4 of Celebration of Discipline. Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Psalm 119:11; 2 Timothy 2:15.

The discipline of study, Foster argues, is how we intentionally expose our minds to truth so that our thinking — and eventually our living — can be transformed. This week, consider both what you study and how you study it.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

1.Foster argues that 'the mind is renewed by applying it to those things that will transform it.' What have you been feeding your mind with most consistently in the past month — news, entertainment, social media, Scripture, great books? How does that diet show up in how you think and feel?

2.He outlines four steps in the discipline of study: repetition, concentration, comprehension, and reflection. Which of these steps do you find most natural, and which is most difficult for you? How might paying attention to the weaker steps improve your engagement with Scripture or any other serious reading?

3.Foster distinguishes between studying books (secondary materials) and studying the 'book of nature' and the 'book of experience' — arguing that reality itself, not just texts, is a source of formative truth. What have you learned about God or yourself from close observation of the natural world or from a particular life experience?

4.He argues that studying the Bible is the 'cornerstone' of the discipline of study. What is your current relationship with regular Bible reading? Do you approach Scripture as something to be consumed quickly, or as something to be savored and wrestled with?

5.Foster suggests that study should lead to humility, not pride — the more deeply we study truth, the more we should realize how much we don't know. Have you experienced that kind of humbling growth through study? Or have you encountered people (or been tempted yourself) to use knowledge as a form of status?

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Closing Prayer

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Lord, You have given us minds and You have called us to love You with them. Forgive us for the laziness that leaves our minds unexercised, and for the pride that uses knowledge to impress rather than to serve. As we study Your word and Your world, do the quiet work of renewing our minds. May we be people who think Your thoughts after You — not as an intellectual achievement, but as an act of love and worship. Let all our study lead us deeper into You. Amen.

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