Disciples Are Disciplined

This month I’ve been presenting a series of sermons on the ABC’s of Discipleship. Literally. Letter by letter. Last week was the letter “D” and we discussed the value of discipline.

In preparing the lesson came across this observation by William Barclay about Samuel Taylor Coleridge the British poet. “Never did a great mind produce so little.”

Ouch! What a stinging, disparaging comment. Barclay then offered this explanation in summarizing Coleridge’s undisciplined life.

“He left Cambridge University to join the army; he left the army because he could not rub down a horse; he returned to Oxford and left without a degree. He began a paper called “The Watchman” which lived for ten numbers and then died.”

He further observed that Coleridge “lost himself in visions of work to be done, that always remained to be done.”

Then he offered the assessment, “Coleridge had every poetic gift but one–the gift of sustained and concentrated effort.” Apparently Coleridge had many ideas for books that he never wrote because he never disciplined himself to sit down and write.

Discipline is a vital key to success in every worthwhile endeavor. In every occupation. In sports. In business. And it’s necessary spiritually. Without discipline there is no growth. Furthermore, it’s apparent that the words “disciple” and “discipline” are akin to each other.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 the apostle Paul emphasized the importance of discipline with this familiar imagery.

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

I’ve often thought Paul was a sports fan because he used the analogy of the sports world so often in his letters. Here he introduces a concept that is widely regarded as a key ingredient to success in any sport.

A runner must be disciplined to train, to spend hours and miles pushing him or herself. Discipline to get up early while others are sleeping. Discipline to eat healthy, nutritious food while others are pigging out on junk food. The discipline to rest the body and get the proper amount of sleep, when others are up all hours of the night. The discipline to push harder, longer, and farther when others are ready to give up and quit.

Years ago I thought that my experience in athletics as well as an understanding of discipline as a key to success would automatically carry throughout my life. I preached on discipline. Taught it. And wrote about it. Guess what? Even at age 77 it still requires effort, focus, and intentionality to practice discipline.

It’s so easy to let our minds drift. To give in to emotions that should be checked. To allow our will to weaken. To compromise our conscience. To look twice, where we should never have looked once. To waste time. To squander our resources. To become lax in properly using our talents. And to neglect Kingdom responsibilities.

To be the best disciple of Christ that we can be, we must take seriously the need to discipline our lives. Jesus said, “Everyone who is perfectly trained
will be like his teacher” (Lk. 6:40). Just like physical training, spiritual training requires discipline.

Discipline begins by training the mind to think the right kind of thoughts. Things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, commendable, virtuous, and praiseworthy. “Think on these things,” Paul implored (Phil 4:8). Disciplining our thoughts will lead to a discipline of emotions, habits, attitudes and actions.

I’m realizing that discipline is a lifetime pursuit. It doesn’t happen accidently. It is something that is planned and purposeful. It requires determination. Fortitude. Intentionally. And vigilance

Thomas Huxley was right when he wrote, “The most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learned and however early a person’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson a person learns thoroughly.”

Disciples are disciplined.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman