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Dare to be Disciplined

In 2005, a college player was taken in the first round of the NFL draft. This man had everything going for him – speed, talent, instincts. He had everything he needed to be an NFL star. He was so good at defense that he took down everyone in his path. He lacked one thing – discipline.

Unable to control his own behavior, legal troubles began to mount. He was finally suspended for an entire season and cut from the team that once had faith in his abilities. Another team took a big gamble and signed him in the midst of his suspension.

The skilled player once again had the opportunity most athletes only dream of. A new series of legal troubles led to another suspension. By the time the season ended, a player considered to be one of the most talented in the NFL had been suspended twenty-two out of twenty-eight games. Not one of his suspensions were related to his on-field performance. The lack of discipline caused this man to become his own worst enemy.

You have probably heard the word ‘discipline’ used in regards to the Christian walk. If not, you certainly have heard it used in other contexts. Athletes discipline themselves to train, eat right, and stay on course to reach their goal. A student must discipline themselves to study to make the grade. A soldier is disciplined to learn the art of war. Someone who is well disciplined is considered a high achiever.

In our spiritual lives, discipline plays a vital role just as it does in many other areas of life. Before we discuss what discipline is, let’s look at what it is not as it pertains to our walk of faith.

What Discipline is Not.

Discipline is not what makes the Christian righteous. Nor is discipline equivalent to spiritual maturity. Nor is discipline the thing that produces faith in our lives – though many people treat it as such. Discipline also should not become a legalistic set of rules.

Legalism is to try to live by a set of rules in order to become righteous or to attempt to merit God’s favor. One danger of any discipline is the risk of the process becoming the focus. I’ll explain. As is evidenced by the book you are reading, I’m a writer. Being a writer, I’m involved in several writing groups and organizations. One thing I’ve discovered is that bad advice abounds. There is much good advice, and what I draw from other writers far outweighs the crumbs of bad advice that falls onto my plate. Yet, I have to learn how to discern between the good and the bad. One person’s suggestion becomes another person’s guideline. Like a game of whisper, the more people it passes through, the more it mutates.

Let me give an example. The word ‘was’ is highly frowned upon in modern writing circles. Since many passive sentences use the word was, writers are encouraged to search for that word and then examine the sentence for passiveness. The next person who passes on this tidbit of information gives their version of helpful advice, “Cut down on the ‘was’ words.”

The next person passes it along by saying, “Don’t use the word ‘was’.”

Recently someone shared with me the advice they received from a professional writing coach. The editor highlighted every ‘was’ and gave the rule for this writer to abide by. “The word ‘was’ should be avoided at all cost. It should never be used more than once every ten-thousand words.” What was once a guideline has become a concrete rule. Many writing professionals can’t enjoy reading because they are looking for rule violations.

I’ve heard similar statements about using ‘that’, words ending in ‘ly’, and many such rules. As rules are spread by word of mouth, they eventually become commandments in the minds of others, even though no such rule actually exists.

Things to be on a ‘look out for’ become things to be stamped out within a few generations of passing along advice. Guidelines and disciplines have great value, but good advice turns into bad advice when one person’s preference becomes a rule for everyone to obey. One of the standard books on writing etiquette began as a college professor’s guidelines for his students. He set his preferences for term papers and the book preface even states this, but over time it has become the bible of writing authority. One man’s preference became everyone’s rule.

This also happens regularly in matters of faith. I grew up in church and witnessed many such examples. One pastor I knew had lived a very rough lifestyle before coming to Christ. His idea of fun had once been to hang out in a pool hall and drink until he couldn’t see straight, and then to fight anyone who crossed him.

After coming to faith, he rightly abandoned his old lifestyle and never visited another pool hall. When visiting someone’s home, he saw a pool table in their den and was appalled. I listened to the preacher vocalize his shock and ask why anyone claiming to be a Christian family would allow a tool of the devil into their home. In his mind, the pool table represented the life he had escaped from.

I’ve seen similar comments about a deck of cards. Since some people gamble with cards and gambling addicts drag families down into destitution, they believe cards are evil.

There are many areas of preference that become points of legalism. We all know that God only likes music written between 1830 and 1940, right? That’s why we only allow music from the old time hymnals. Of course this isn’t true. While there is nothing wrong with a church singing the old time hymns, we also must realize this is a preference issue and not a God ordained commandment.

Legalism arises when we try to merit God’s favor by keeping rules, or when we turn preferences into commandments. Often, those preferences are very relevant in our lives and part of our personal disciplines, but they are ways we structure our routines and not what God requires of everyone.

When someone says, “You must have quiet time and Bible study early each morning in order to be spiritual,” that is legalism. It may be true that some people need to study early because they are too tired in the evening and can’t be consistent without an early routine. That is a discipline. However, some people can’t study early because they aren’t a morning person, and they get their second wind when the sun goes down and the house grows quiet.

“You must study in the morning to be faithful,” is legalism.

“Try studying first thing in the morning. It works for me,” is a valid suggestion and is how someone disciplines their own life.

I could go on and on, but hopefully, you get the picture. Personal preference should not become a commandment. There are many voices out there claiming to be the voice of God, but the Bible makes it clear that we have liberty. When the Galatian church was plagued by those who brought in rules that they claimed were necessary in order to be right with God, Paul rebuked them and said, “Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?”

The Apostle Paul then made two important points to this confused church. First, he asked them how they could think that they began their life of redemption by faith, but now think they must be made perfect by works of the flesh. In other words, if we recognize that we are saved by grace through faith and not by any merit of our own, why would we think we must now earn God’s favor after becoming a child of Him? We live the same way we are redeemed, by grace through faith – and that is not of yourselves.

Another important point was made in Galatians 5:13

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

We are given great freedom in the faith. Where God is silent, we must not insert a command. The overarching principle is that we must not use our freedom to serve our sinful flesh. So, if the Bible gives no specific command or instruction, I have the freedom to discern what is best according to my own life. As long as I can walk faithfully with the Lord, and I am not serving the flesh, I have freedom to discern where I need discipline, and which areas I can exercise freedom.

We all have different personalities and weaknesses. Things that draw me into sin may not even be a temptation to someone else. Consider the pool table. Someone who associates a pool table to their old sinful lifestyle may be inclined to cast that out of their lives. For them, their walk of faith is evidenced by their abandonment of their old passion of playing pool while carousing. Yet for the person who has never been in that lifestyle, a pool table is nothing but a felt table, ten balls, and a stick. It’s no more than a game.

This is where you must learn to discern between biblical doctrine and personal preference. How God works in your life is based on your personality, strengths, weaknesses, and God’s calling for your life. What creates discipline in your life won’t necessarily work in someone else’s life. What works in someone else’s life may not work in your life.

Don’t let the preferences of another become a burden to you. Or a source of guilt. The Bible makes it clear that we cannot let our lives be judged by another person’s conscience[1]. That also is a form of legalism.

What Discipline Is.

We’ve already seen that discipline is not what fulfills our goals or makes us righteous. Discipline is a method that keeps us in the state of mind where we can keep moving forward.

Our minds naturally gravitate toward slackness. Discipline guards us from drifting away from what we value. Think about exercise. Why do we do it? Exercise isn’t the goal; exercise is how we reach for the goal. Your goal might be to lose weight. It may be that you are lacking energy and need to get your body back into a healthy state. Exercise isn’t the achievement – it’s the method by which we reach for our goal of becoming fit and healthy.

Academic studying is a discipline. Without studying, a student will not make the grade. The goal is a better education, and the discipline of study is the means by which students reach for that goal.

What happens when study habits slip? The goal of passing the class or making good grades slide out of reach. What happens when you skip exercise for a few days? It’s hard to force yourself back into action. It doesn’t take long to get into the slack mode and let a discipline slip into the deep waters of apathy. As a writer, I try to write something every day. If not, it takes great effort to stir my lazy mind back into action. Without discipline, I just remember I haven’t done something and think, “I really need to do that. Someday.”

Discipline keeps us motivated, even when we don’t feel like doing anything. It keeps us moving forward and maintaining momentum. Without discipline, everything becomes like our New Year’s resolution. Something kick starts us every now and then, but without real discipline, we can’t keep the goal in view.

When it comes to spiritual matters, we must have a process in place that works with our personalities and overcomes our weaknesses. Unless you find a way to schedule specific, intentional activities, you won’t maintain any level of real spiritual growth. Everyone says, “I need to do more Bible study or be more consistent in my prayer life.” The truth is, that won’t happen unless you structure these things into your daily life. Bible study is a command, but study habits are disciplines.

Discipline is based on value. What you value is what you will pursue. Of course, there must be an evaluation before you recognize value. This is what goal setting is all about. You can’t pursue a goal you don’t have. Saying, “I need to spend more time in the word,” is not a goal. Evaluating your life and determining what character traits you value can become a goal.

Perhaps I want to overcome a character flaw, such as being snappy toward my family. Or maybe I value knowing God intimately and want to see the fruit of the Spirit maturing in my life. The Bible says, “By this all men shall know you are my disciples, your love for one another.”

We know that love (agape) is the fruit of the Spirit and comes from God. Maybe I’ll make it my goal to know the love of God so I can show that love to others. Or perhaps I see the passage that says, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” My goal could be to do the things God commands so I can experience what it means to walk in the Spirit.

When I graduated from high school, I had no educational goals. I was undisciplined and unmotivated. I flunked out of college. No surprise there. I aimed for nothing and I achieved what I aimed for. After spending a few years in the military, I completed my duty and got a job. I worked my way up to a management position and then the war in Iraq began. I was recalled into the army and my career took a blow.

Though legally, companies were required to hold jobs for soldiers, I discovered that my job had been filled when I returned. Now married, I saw the need for marketable job skills. Obtaining a valuable job skill became important to me, so I returned to college with a motivation and a goal. I went from making D’s and F’s to achieving A’s and B’s.

Having something important to strive for gave me motivation. Motivation led me to discipline, and through discipline I worked, studied, and endured until the goal was in my hands.

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you sit back and think, “I really should do something,” it won’t happen. You may get started, but you won’t endure. But when you see the goal, and it’s something of value, you’ll be motivated to persevere. This is where discipline comes into play. Determine what you need to do, and set a plan in motion to accomplish it.

Bible study and quiet time are actions. They are actions that require discipline in order to maintain consistency. At such and such time, I will allocate x number of minutes, and that time isn’t available for anything else. Or if you have the type of schedule where a specific block of times may or may not be available, make room in other ways. I won’t check my email until I’ve read and journaled for thirty minutes, or completed a certain number of written pages. Set shallow pleasures aside until after disciplined time has been fulfilled.

For this to work there must be a goal. Most Christians have a theoretical faith. The benefit of spiritual maturity doesn’t seem real or attainable. Or the things of this life crowd their lives and appear more valuable than they actually are. We can see the temporal life around us, but we can’t see the hidden things of eternity. Perhaps a first goal would be to see the reality of spiritual benefits in the word. Many have begun the journey by wanting to know the truth of scripture.

Be consistent with discipline. Be uncompromising with your goal. But don’t become legalistic. If circumstances cause me to miss a day, I won’t beat myself up over it. Guilt is not a good motivator. Simply take the next opportunity and get back on track. Do not allow yourself to miss two days if at all possible. The reason is not that you will have failed, but because when you lose momentum, you lose motivation.

Discipline is a tool that keeps you moving forward and in a goal oriented state of mind – even when you feel like being lax.

Don’t expect God to sing your praises because you set time out to read your Bible. The reward is not because you were disciplined. The discipline is a tool by which you reach for something you value. What you value is the reward. God doesn’t owe me payment for spending time in the scriptures. The scriptures unveil the reward. God told Abraham, “I am your exceedingly great reward.” This is the reward and from a close relationship with God, everything else flows. Discipline is the path toward the reward – intimacy with God.

Understanding discipline is important, so let’s summarize it again. Thinking that what I do is what makes me righteous is a step into legalism. When I think a reward is due because I set time aside for God, I’ve become legalistic in my thinking. Keep the goal in mind. The work isn’t the goal. The work is how we reach for the goal. The goal is what we value. God indeed desires to give us of His kingdom, but faith comes before the promise. We will effectively discipline ourselves when we believe in the value of what God says about Himself and His word. When hearing the word ‘discipline’, don’t think of do’s and don’ts. Think of a means to reach for a goal. Determine what you value in the Christian walk and the promises of God, set a goal, and place checks in balances in your life to keep you focused and motivated in reaching for that goal. That is discipline. It’s the vehicle on the road that you drive toward what you value.

[1] 1 Corinthians 10:29