Relevant Life

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” -Jim Rohn

Proverbs 15:33 (GW) The fear of the LORD is discipline leading to wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

The word discipline has several meanings. One meaning is the controlled gain by enforcing obedience or order. Another is orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior. It can simply mean self-control or training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. ( Taken from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline)

I would like to look at the later defintions and relate their meanings to us for today. More than ever, we need discipline in the world. Discipline to always do the right thing. Discipline to stick to godly principles and righteousness. Discipline to resist the tainting of truth and discipline to have the boldness to stand up for absolute truth. It is easy said than done.

Discipline Skills:

Self-Control: Living in today’s impulsive and demanding world; self-control appears to be taking a back seat. Self-control has been replaced by self-denial. We deny that there is an obesity problem in many modern nations. We deny that the free world of sex is destroying the beautiful act all together. We deny that drugs and alcohol is producing dependent beings who can’t function properly in society. We deny that the mental issues described today or sometimes due to the lack of self-control and the disappearance of righteous living. This verse says it best. e-Sword Proverbs 25:28  Like a city broken into and left without a wall, so is a person who lacks self-control. The lack of discipline leaves us defenseless and broken. Discipline, I do meaning godly discipline, can rebuild our brokenness and restack our walls of hope. Discipline is a spark that comes from us hitting two rocks together. Once the spark ignites from the clashing then Holy Spirit throws gas on it to turn the spark into a blazing flame.

Training that Corrects: Jesus spent the last three years of his life on earth training and correcting mind sets among his disciples. Most don’t realize that Jesus more than likely had thousands of followers before being crucified by Pontus Pilate. In the Antiquities from ancient Historian Flavius Josephus, ( AD 37-100) writes”There was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day (Antiquities 18:3:3).” Jesus corrected many from their false believes and replaced them with undeniable truths. Truths which were sustained by His many miracles. Discipline trains us to walk in truth and course corrects our wrong behaviors. This kind of Discipline cannot be budge nor become extinct. Jesus discipline create a tribe of believers who even exist today. Over 1 Billion people in the world confess that they believe in God and Jesus. What a remarkable feat to say the least.

Training that Molds: Being in the military has taught me some valuable lessons. Everyone day in basic training was all about routine and discipline to the processes. The repetition molded us into elite soldiers. Even today the United States military is one of the greatest militaries on the face of the planet. We were taught that the simple things of life, like making your bed, had to be performed in order to have a successful day. If the minor things were ignored then the overall structure would fall. Holy Spirit seeks to mold us into the image of Christ for the world to see. Godly Discipline removes the impurities of life and leaves behind the goodness of God. e-Sword Proverbs 25:4  Take the impurities out of silver, and a vessel is ready for the silversmith to mold.

Perfects Moral Character: Let’s face it human character without divine influence is like an exploding volcano. The lava spews out everywhere and destroys everything within its flowing path. The Lord desires to perfect us into righteous character. This process is not easy but the choice is given to us. e-Sword Romans 12:2  Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants-what is good, pleasing, and perfect. Being Perfect means being complete or simply becoming a mature individual.

Living a disciplined life is hard. I fail often times myself. However, I have noticed that the closer I am to Jesus; the greater are my chances of living a disciplined life. When I am praying every day, reading his word, and putting into practice his truth then discipline life styles become a reality. You and I have the choice to live disciplined lives or live lives filled with chaos.