The other day I was thinking about discipline. The reason I was thinking about it is because it was time to do my workout and my body was saying NO, NO, NO!!! When I first started working out over a year ago it was to lose some weight and keep my level of health ... since I'm not getting any younger. Lol I have since achieved my weight loss goal and my health is great so now the thoughts come "oh, you can miss working out today. No big deal right?" Wrong. It is easy for one missed day to turn into another and so on and soon after I am right back to where I started ... or worse! For that reason I force my body to come under subjection to my will.
In the same way I impose spiritual disciplines in my life, mainly to keep my flesh under control so my spirit man can gain strength. Things like getting out of bed early (when I really could stay there) to start the day with the Lord, fasting, choosing to read the word to renew my mind over doing something else I would rather do, etc. All of these strengthen my inner man who is to be in control of my life. Spirit is to rule soul who is to rule body. I would like to state this is not about keeping any law. It's about bringing my body in subjection that my spirit man will grow up into the image of Jesus. I am in a race according to scripture and I want to finish conformed to Christs image.
I was thinking about the Olympic Athletes. They don't get to where they are by laying on the couch watching tv and eating chips and twinkles all day and/or just wasting time. They get to where they are by discipline. I am positive they don't get up every day thinking "Yay! I get to spend 8 hours practicing today!" but they do it because they know that's what it takes.
I can stand in wonder of many great men and women of faith and the things the Lord accomplished through them. What separates them from us? Discipline. Many people would love to walk the steps they walked but few are willing to pay the price they paid; lives of prayer and fasting, obedience, not wasting time on foolish things. They had crucified their flesh and Jesus was their lives every waking hour. He took precedence in their lives. There was no thought of anything else but to walk as he walked, obey and accomplishing His will daily.
That is the people we all want to be, isn't it?
In the same way I impose spiritual disciplines in my life, mainly to keep my flesh under control so my spirit man can gain strength. Things like getting out of bed early (when I really could stay there) to start the day with the Lord, fasting, choosing to read the word to renew my mind over doing something else I would rather do, etc. All of these strengthen my inner man who is to be in control of my life. Spirit is to rule soul who is to rule body. I would like to state this is not about keeping any law. It's about bringing my body in subjection that my spirit man will grow up into the image of Jesus. I am in a race according to scripture and I want to finish conformed to Christs image.
I was thinking about the Olympic Athletes. They don't get to where they are by laying on the couch watching tv and eating chips and twinkles all day and/or just wasting time. They get to where they are by discipline. I am positive they don't get up every day thinking "Yay! I get to spend 8 hours practicing today!" but they do it because they know that's what it takes.
I can stand in wonder of many great men and women of faith and the things the Lord accomplished through them. What separates them from us? Discipline. Many people would love to walk the steps they walked but few are willing to pay the price they paid; lives of prayer and fasting, obedience, not wasting time on foolish things. They had crucified their flesh and Jesus was their lives every waking hour. He took precedence in their lives. There was no thought of anything else but to walk as he walked, obey and accomplishing His will daily.
That is the people we all want to be, isn't it?
