Dared To Be Disciplined
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life will lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 16:24-25
Christian living presupposes Christian conviction. But unfortunately, it is possible to have beliefs which do not find expression in conduct. This belief of the head is often confused with real faith. The simple truth is—one really believes only that which one acts upon. When I see a person who claims to be a Christian and believes all the creeds and calls himself an evangelical Christian, but he does not live the Christian life—his life is not characterized by brokenness, tenderness, and love—I remember the words of Jesus when He said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” After being born again we are to demonstrate our faith by our works. As James said, “Faith without works is dead.”
The effective Christians of history have been men and women of great personal discipline. The connection between the words disciple and discipline is obvious. To be a true, effective disciple of Christ we must seek to discipline our lives and endeavor to walk even as He walked. The thing that has hindered the progress of the church is not so much our talk and our creeds; but it has been our walk, our conduct, our daily living. We need a revival of Christian example, and that can only come when professed followers of Christ begin to practice Christian discipline.
Where do we begin? Having found the life which is in Christ, strict disciplinary trails lead to a full-bodied, rich, and complete life.
The great “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Haddon Spurgeon, once said, “I bear my willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord’s workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.” I echo that sentiment!
Our Father and our God, I bring You my undisciplined life, and I ask You to help me develop personal control. Eliminate from my heart the unruly desires for worldly pleasures and materialism. Destroy my love of earthly power and pride. Draw me to wholeness through simple, pure thinking and living in Christ. Through Him I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).