Discipline is Not a Dirty Word
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"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."
(1 Corinthians 9:27)
Last Saturday, I recorded an episode of our REvangelical podcast ministry on the topic of discipline. In the episode, I alluded to the fact that I may write a book one day entitled, "Discipline Is not a Dirty Word." Many times, the word "discipline" has a negative connotation, accompanied by thoughts of punishment or correction from a parent, teacher, or boss. But that is not what I am talking about when I use the word "discipline". I am referring to that inner ability to do what is hard but necessary to obtain a goal.
Thinking about people in the Bible who were disciplined, Jesus is the first to spring to mind. Luke was disciplined as a medical doctor and first-rate historian. The Apostle Paul was also incredibly disciplined, as seen in our Scripture verse for today's devotion. In the Old Testament, I think of people like Ruth, with her disciplined work ethic, and Uriah, Bathsheba's husband who denied himself and did the right thing, even though King David did not. Joseph was very disciplined too, as evidenced by how he served Pharaoh so well that he eventually became the Prime Minister of all of Egypt, with God's favor upon him.
The Greek word translated "discipline" in 1 Corinthians 9:27 is hypopiazo, which means "to keep under" or "to subdue". The idea is to do the hard and right thing and avoid the easy, less helpful thing in order to accomplish a greater goal. Paul disciplined himself like an athlete. He did not wish to play the part of a hypocrite and become disqualified in the ministry Jesus assigned to him.
All the successful people that I have ever met are men and women of discipline. They have the ability to delay gratification and zero in on what needs to be done, whether they feel like it or not. I reached out to some people that are very disciplined, and I asked them to jot down what they thought of when they heard the word "discipline".
Aaron Colyer serves as a pastor in New Mexico. He is a husband, a dad, and a multi-Ironman triathlete. An Ironman race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. Colyer writes:
"Regarding personal life discipline, there are several days that I feel as if I have slacked off, but my goal has always been to 'fail forward.' Stop to realize tomorrow is a new day, and rather than feeling bad about yesterday, commit to put one foot in front of the other today! This applies to physical disciplines and spiritual disciplines."
Ronnie Floyd is the current CEO of the Executive Committee of the SBC. He is one of the most godly, consistent, and disciplined men I have ever met. Floyd writes:
"Discipline is doing what you need to do even when you do not feel like doing it....The key to discipline is discipline. You have to discipline your life over time to be disciplined. Then it will become who you are rather than something you make yourself do. This pertains to anything that is good for you: time with God daily, to prioritizing your work daily, to exercising regularly, to your needs relating to diet, and so much more. Great leaders and influential people usually practice discipline."
I pray that God strengthens you and empowers you to be more disciplined in your life so you can bring glory to God and experience all the things He wants you to enjoy.
More on discipline tomorrow and a quote from my friend Rob that will inspire you.
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Podcast of the Week
10 Principles for Effective Living: Discipline
Pastor Danny focuses this episode on the principle of Discipline, discussing what it really means to have personal discipline in various areas of life, including diet, exercise, sleep schedule, & most importantly, one's relationship with God.
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