DISCIPLINE

No discipline----no growth. Everything else I'm going to say here, can be summed up in that first sentence. It is our tendancy as men to rationalize and procrastinate. The best man among us participates in these two activities, rationalizing and procrastinating. Both of these activities are a cancer on the disciplined life. They are the tools that eat away at the very core of living a disciplined life.

I'll give you an example. I know a man who ranks very high on the discipline chart. He is by all outward appearances the model of constant discipline. He is every woman's dream and every child's hope. He practices the golden rule. He is patriotic, healthy and smart. And if you ask him about his discipline, he will tell you he fails regularly to maintain the standards that are his goal.

So I think it is safe to say, that the best man among us participates in rationalization and procrastination. Why do we intentionally shoot ourselves in the foot? Why, when we know what to do, and when to do it, do we not do it?

Read the book of Proverbs. If you don't have a Bible, borrow one or go on line. Read the whole book. It won't take you long. Write down how many times you see the word discipline in the book. And then, read the warning that accompanies the word. Proverbs is one of those texts that are recommended reading for newlyweds as well as old guys like me. It becomes quickly apparent that and undisciplined life if rife with trouble.

As it turns out, discipline is our friend. Used properly, it will provide daily benefits that add up to yearly gain. If it were easy to attain, it wouldn't be called discipline. The very nature of the word suggests it's meaning.

Jesus had twelve disciples. They were being exposed to His teaching, both through His words and His modeling of how to live life. Did they bumble along? You bet they did. Did they vie for position and power? Yep. Did they miss the point of many of Jesus' statements? Of course they did. Did they end up spreading the gospel until their dying breath? Yes.

My conclusion is keep at it. In second Timothy 2:2, Paul states, "and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men, who will also be qualified to teach others." Reliable men are disciplined men. Qualified men are disciplined men. It is impossible to make very much progress with a man who isn't personally disciplined.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2006