Our society is one of impatience and instant gratification, satisfying our physical, sexual, and emotional cravings with whatever pleases us. In the past couple of years, I have developed a theory that secondly from knowing our Creator, the greatest things that our society lacks is discipline. Discipline is what gives us the capability to see past the immediate results of a situation in order for long term gain. Discipline can present itself as a “no” in response to something, or doing something in order to see long term results. Living a life of discipline is not easy; discipline is something that goes against the grain of our human nature. However, at the root of being a disciple is the word discipline. To become a disciple it is necessary that we are deliberate in our choices and live a life of discipline and effort. By living a life of discipline we will experience the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, live for an eternal purpose, and be prepared at any moment for ministry and opportunities that arise.
A lack of discipline is rampant around us. We are by nature impatient, and desire immediate results. With the development of instant microwave food, fast-food restaurants, and high-speed technology, we have grown to become a society that is accustomed to immediate results or something is not worth our time or effort. In fact, I believe that short term thinking and this lack of patience leads to an absence of discipline can explain many problems in our society: financial debt, infidelity in marriage, obesity, and drop-out rates in school. Unfortunately, our lives often reflect the culture that surrounds us, and even in our faith we often seek immediate results with very little effort.
“Practise makes perfect” was a phrase I often heard growing up, and I have to agree after all mom was correct! What long term benefit is there to cramming for your exam the night before your test, or neglecting to practise piano until the hour before your piano recital, or ignoring your wife until the day of your anniversary? Similarly, practicing discipline in a consistent manner will prepare us in and out of season to be working to our maxiumum potential and ready for whatever we encounter. Just like a player on a sports team that is a “bench warmer,” one must train himself to be ready at any moment that he could be put in the game and perform to his full potential .Just like it is too late for an athlete to start practicing once he is playing a game, it is too late to start practicing discipline once we find ourselves in the situation we need the discipline for! By practicing discipline in our lives and in our spiritual life, I am confident that we will see a drastic change in our lives... the effort and discipline will bear much fruit!
