On Discipline

Dear Fellow Trekker,

In a few hours, as I write in the late hours of Mother’s Day, I will be winging my way, with my helpmate Barbara, to visit our son and family and then the staff of Military Community Youth Ministries in Germany for two weeks. I’ve been asked to speak on ‘discipline’ in our walk with Christ. My recent thoughts on this have crowded out other subjects, so this month we pass the baton for discipline.

Here I am writing about discipline… however, discipline is not so much something to mediate or write about, as it is something to put into practice, much like prayer! Discipline is a principle of life to be implemented. It is not a rule, it cannot be broken. It takes diligence, attention to detail, and accountability (another principle of note), if we are to experience its positive effects. The need for it does not disappear… ever. Like any principle, the challenge is if and how we practice it. True practice stems from ‘where the heart is’. Let me explain. The word ‘discipline’ and ‘disciple’ not only look and sound alike, they are brothers! A disciple is literally, in the Greek language, a learner. Discipline is learning through obedience. Jesus “learned obedience by the things he suffered”. Today’s disciple loves his subject (Jesus), listens, learns and puts into practice truth in order “to please him who chose him to be a soldier” (a disciple), according to Paul’s encouragement to his young brother Timothy.

The purpose of discipline is not to become a fanatical keeper of the law, but rather to “exercise oneself to godliness” and then live out loving God fully, with heart, mind, soul, body and spirit. We please Jesus as He pleased His Father.

Discipline is not then, imposed by others. That only yields righteousness like that of the Pharisees, not a righteousness from the heart. And, unless we get beyond righteousness of the law, we don’t get it and Jesus says, “we won’t see the Kingdom”. No, all discipline at the core must be self-discipline, and self-discipline only takes root when we fall in love with Jesus and desire to bring every thought captive to Christ.

Strange how much our generation, which some say “has forgotten God”, devotes far more attention to the exercise (discipline) of the body, to the neglect of the soul. The apostle Paul sets before us right priorities in life and the need for personal discipline and self-control.

Over the years Paul’s words in his first letter to Timothy have been favorites of mine: “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.” (NLT)

Let me talk to myself and to you very directly for a moment. It is not so much what we believe that counts (it is what and how we live). For example, my Dad believed I had the capability to become a professional golfer. However, I did not apply discipline growing up to hit golf balls six hours a day till my hands bled. To become a professional I would have had to enter a lifestyle that would give me a fighting chance to become one. John Wesley elaborates on this dilemma: “It was a common saying among the Christians of the primitive church, ‘The soul and body may make a man; the spiritual discipline makes a Christian.’”

Dallas Willard, a Christian professor of renown and proponent of spiritual formation, states the following: “… we become like Christ by doing one thing, by following him in the overall style of life he chose for himself. If we have faith in Christ we must believe he knew how to live. We can, through faith and grace, become like Christ by practicing the types of activities he engaged in. such things as solitude and silence, prayer, simple and sacrificial living, intense study and mediation upon God’s word and God’s ways, and service to others.. Along these lines, add Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline” to your library. It is the definitive work on discipline written in the 20th century, in my judgment. He speaks of inward, outward, and corporate discipline. Buy it tomorrow!

Where am I personally on the subject? Well, guys, it is tough. I am not disciplined by nature. Along with the golf illustration, there are scores of others I could add. If things are not easy, I tend to drop them. Not good! G.K. Chesterton’s words have always haunted me: “Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting, as it has been found difficult and left untried.”

Nevertheless, I am in the game. I am seeking to apply Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me. I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else about it and then missing out myself.” (The Message)

So, let’s ‘examine ourselves’ (assessment), ‘give due diligence to present ourselves approved before God’ (application), and know ‘we will give an account to God’ one day (accountability). These words of Paul to Timothy are the beginning and end of our trek of discipline. Let’s climb the mountain of discipline together.

Your fellow trekker,

Jim Meredith