Study 25 – Ah, Discipline!

There are two extreme positions when it comes to the subject of discipline.  'Ah yes, discipline!' says one, 'It's vitally important if you want to grow as a Christian.  Jesus spent regular times with God and he expects everyone to do the same.  I get up early every morning, read my bible and work through my prayer list.  I believe that God honours you when you do these things.'

'Oh no, discipline!' says another very lazily.  'We're under grace so we mustn't get caught up in stuffy spiritual rituals.  I don't feel it's necessary to have regular times with God.  Jesus prayed wherever He was and I'm happy to do the same – and to read my bible occasionally.  Jesus wants us to enjoy life.  I'm doing just that.' 

Although they might not realise it, neither of these individuals has understood the essence of discipline.

The first is bound by laws.  He has a regular time with his bible and prayer list, but not with Jesus. The second, in his desire to avoid such legalistic bondage, runs in the opposite direction and lands up in another bondage – licence!  He has no concrete goals in life and muddles through on his feelings.

Soldiers, athletes and farmers know only too well how important discipline is.  Without it, they would never have the stamina to fight, the strength to keep going or the goods to supply.  Christians who serve God to their fullest potential are neither controlled by laws nor guided by feelings.  They have learnt the need for personal discipline.

Before his conversion, Paul thought he would gain credit with God by striving to be righteous so he worked hard at the law (Phi. 3:5,6).

When he realised that righteousness was a gift, he stopped trying to attain it by human effort but he did not settle down into a cosy grace.  '(God's) grace to me was not without effect,' he said.  'No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me' (1 Cor. 15:10).  The hard work continued but the motivation and energy behind it were different.

To Meditate On

JESUS WANTS YOU TO BE DISCIPLINED

'Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training' (1 Cor. 9:25).

'The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray' (1 Pet. 4:7).

Food For Thought

Prov. 13:4 – 'The sluggard comes and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.'

Notice that the sluggard is not without ambition, 'he craves' but he does not take action.

Be Inspired

Many have ambitions which are never realised, goals which are never reached, aspirations for usefulness which are never fulfilled, visions which never materialise.  While the failure may at times be due to limited ability, too often the deficiency is not in native endowment but in character.  The capacity for gruelling applications is lacking.  There may be the promising start, but not the discipline required to carry through.
Richard Shelley Taylor

To Apply

Read Luke 5:15,16

Are you living at the mercy of other people's demands?

If God is challenging you about the use of your time, listen to what He says and act on it.

To Read

'If we give top priority to those pursuits which should have low priority, if we "major in minors", if we show a "first-rate dedication to second-rate causes", if we allow friends and impulse and the convenience of the moment to dictate our priorities, while we weakly drift with the tide of daily circumstance, we will be shabby, mediocre, and ineffective persons'.
Richard Shelley Taylor

No-one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer.  Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.  The hard-working farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops (2 Tim. 2:4-6).