Coffee Break - Disciplined

Coffee Break

"Disciplined"

How many of you like the word-- discipline?  Our flesh sure doesn't.  But we have to have discipline in our lives.  That's why some of us are in a lot of trouble-- no discipline, and the rest of us would be without it. 

Why is discipline so important?  If our eating habits weren't disciplined we could wind up on a reality show knowing that if we didn't lose the weight we were going to die.  If we aren't disciplined with our spending habits we could become so deep in debt that we could wind up sitting in the dark with no electricity, or have our vehicle repossessed, or worse yet, find ourselves homeless.  A lack of discipline could cause us to wind up in jail because we couldn't stop doing things that were illegal.  The greatest tragedy when it comes to lack of discipline is that of losing your eternal soul. You wouldn't stop doing what you wanted to do long enough (discipline) to make things right with you and the Lord. 

While not all lack of discipline can have as dire consequences as those named above, even the smallest areas where we aren't disciplined can cause us problems. During this time I have seen that I needed more discipline in areas in my life.  I was placed in a situation where I had to be disciplined.  I had to be disciplined in order to not rush my recovery, in order to follow the doctors instructions to not lift, bend, twist or pull anything for more than 6 weeks.  I had to be disciplined to take my meds at the proper time.  I had to be disciplined on how I got in and out of bed. I had to be disciplined, as well as patient, to let someone else help me and not go off on my own and do certain things for myself.  This is the hardest part for most people.  It is easier to go ahead and do it yourself than to have to wait on someone else, or show them how to do it.  (Parents get the gold medal here-- it is easier to do it ourselves than tell them how.)

The greatest reason we need discipline is not about these things, but about doing what the Lord instructs us to do.  Just imagine the outcome at the Walls of Jericho had the Israelites not disciplined themselves to obey the Lord's command to match around the walls without uttering a word.  They might have missed the victory.  They might have made the battle harder on themselves.  They may have missed the miracle and revelation of God that they saw.  Our lack of discipline could cause us to miss out on what the Lord has planned for us.  Think about it.

Have a great day.  How disciplined are you?  Do you need to work on it?