10
into our lives and make them a part of the permanent fixtures of our thought" [DW, 113].
16
Thinking rightly about God on the basis of his revealed truth confirmed in experience naturally
leads to worship, which Willard describes as "the single most powerful force in completing and
sustaining restoration in the whole person" [DW, 107]. In addition to meditation on Scripture
and worship, which are, to use categories from The Spirit of the Disciplines, "disciplines of
engagement," Willard also highlights the disciplines of solitude, fasting [DW, 155] and the
Sabbath [DW, 174-176], examples of "disciplines of abstinence."
17
And finally, Willard has an
extended discussion of Gods law, which he refers to as "one of the greatest gifts of grace that
God has ever conveyed to the human race"[DW, 211]. Referencing Ps 19:7, Willard says that
"the law of the Lord gratefully received, studied, and internalized to the point of obedience is
,,perfect . . . [and therefore] converts or restores the soul of those who seek it and receive it"
[DW, 211].
18
16
Willard expands on this: "To take the ,,information of Scripture into a mind thinking
straight under the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit is to place ones feet solidly on
the high road of spiritual formation under God" [DW, 106].
17
Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, 156-192.
18
For Willard, Gods intent is always that his law operates in concert with his Spirit.
"The presence of the Spirit and of grace is not meant to set the law aside, but to enable
conformity to it from an inwardly transformed personality. . . . You cannot separate spirit from
law, though you must separate spirit and law from legalism" [DW, 214].