Discipline

We are making our way through a letter Paul wrote to Jesus followers in Corinth. Today, Paul talks about control.


1 Corinthians 9
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.


Discipline. I don’t think anyone likes the word discipline. Look it up in the dictionary, none of the definitions sound like they’re any fun. However, I do think everyone needs discipline. It is really a matter of control. Am I expressing every impulse I experience (including my thoughts, words and actions) or am I gaining controlling of my impulses and submitting them to God’s control? It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight; but it is the foundation of becoming a follower (or disciple) of Jesus. I would encourage you to take it slow (the same advice any trainer would give you if you were starting a new workout). Start with becoming aware of your impulses ... what you are thinking and saying and doing. Life moves so fast sometimes that we don’t even realize what we are doing. Once you have gained some awareness, work on evaluating your impulses before expressing them. The standard for evaluation should be simple (check out Matthew 22:35-40). Does it honor God? Does it help others? Once you have implemented an evaluation process, it becomes a matter of repeating the ones that do (honor and/or help) and replacing the ones that don’t.