Its not a word we like to hear. I have preached it many times through the years. And yet, I find myself needing a little of it myself, this "D" word I am speaking of. OK, here it is... DISCIPLINE.
There, I said it. Scared you, didn't it? You're ready to exit off the blog now, this is not going to be pleasant. Like a gory scene in a movie we don't want to see, we tend to flip away from a subject we don't want to hear. And my intention is not to "preach" this one to others today. It's to remind myself.
Some things only come through discipline. The athlete who wants to be on the top level of competitiveness understands that he must subject himself to the necessary adjustments of diet, exercise, and training to accomplish the goal. Victory won is worth the sacrifices made.
Yet in church today we don't make the sacrifices we should. We preach about them, but seldom make adjustments. And we get offended at anyone who suggests any element of discipline is necessary on our part. I know that our relationship with Christ is by grace, and not of works. I am not attempting to revert to the clothesline mentality of some narrow minded believers. Having said that, where is the call of total abandonment to the Lord? His glory is only found in the face seekers of His divine presence.
So today I am feeling drawn to discipline. I know He is working on me. I will admit there are times when I am not sensitive enough to realize the need. And when I see it, I must submit to it. I hope you as a reader do not get the impression that I am attempting to be preachy to you today. That is not my intent at all. What I am doing is sharing my heart in what I feel He is saying to me.
My word for today is a D word. DISCIPLINE... discipline myself spiritually, mentally, and physically. Make adjustments to my food intake, to what I see on TV and how much I view. Discipline myself to my online time. I discovered facebook 3 months ago. I have reconnected with some old friends, kept connect with ones I already have, and met some new friends. But I have spent way too much time there. So I am attempting to reel myself in. Not saying I am stopping, but I am trying to avoid some of the time consuming nonsense that goes along with some of these things. I will watch TV with my wife and grandson and occasionally a sports program. I will do a little facebook time but wont get caught up in all the games on it. And I will avoid conversations with the opposite sex without the presence of my wife in the room to monitor. I am working on other areas that need it.
I am hungry for something else. I heard insanity defined as keeping on doing the same thing and yet expecting a different result. We have had some great results at the church I pastor. But I am not satisfied. I want more. I have been telling the Lord that. I hear him telling me I need that D word to get there.
I must decrease, He must increase. There must be less and less of me, more and more of Him.
Blessings,
Pastor Ronnie
2 comments:
As in times past, a word that is needed to be heard. I too have spent far too much time on Facebook, and have heard that I need to reign it in. Thanks, again.
Yeah, it can be addictive. As with anything, there needs to be balance in our lives. I enjoy it, but sometimes get caught up, and have been trying to restrict myself. Thanks for the response, Rebecca.
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