Discipline

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Today I have been meditating on discipline. It’s not one of my favorite subjects, to be honest. I have always had a hard time taking correction – from teachers, from bosses, from my superiors, from my subordinates – from anybody! I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve been told I take it too personally. It is personal – it is directed toward me.

I have always associated my identity with what I do – not who I am. I can be a good person, but do dumb stuff. I am very intelligent. That’s not bragging, it’s just a fact. I have always loved algebra, physics, chemistry, music – all the hard stuff. It becomes a quest for me to solve a problem. I love it! Granted, I don’t go looking for problems. After all, I love my peaceful lifestyle – you’ve heard me say that many times. But when a situation presents itself, I am not afraid to take it on. I love to try to find solutions, to think outside the box. That’s the free spirit in me. But discipline? Rigidly following rules and demands – that ties me down. And I don’t like to be tied down.

The Bible, however, has a lot to say about discipline. We are to train ourselves as soldiers following our Commander-in-Chief. We are to discipline ourselves as athletes who train according to the guidelines of our Coach while staying within the boundaries. We are called to lay down our plans and our desires, seeking to fulfill those of our heavenly Father. We are even called to lay aside our freedom to do certain things if it would cause our brother or sister to stumble. On and on scripture goes talking about disciplining ourselves, of training ourselves, of putting aside the works of the flesh in order to satisfy our Father and gain eternal rewards.

It’s funny the places we learn these lessons and from whom. I picked up a book entitled “Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun.” It is a fascinating book on the principles he employed as the “King of the Huns.” One big thing he practiced was discipline within the ranks. The Huns, I learned, were not from one specific nation or people. They were an amalgamation, a melting pot, of many different nationalities and bloodlines – peoples who had been conquered or who had surrendered. They were taught the ways of the Huns, their history, their lifestyles, their vision of world domination. As long as they willingly complied and underwent the training and submitted to the vision, they were gladly folded into the clan. But if someone refused to comply or rebelled against the leadership, that person was openly and very quickly disciplined.

One thing Atilla was quick to point out was that discipline did NOT mean punishment. Discipline merely meant to re-arrange or re-direct that individual’s attitude and behavior. Discipline was something done to put down any uprising, to strengthen the group as a whole, to keep everyone in unity. Though they were not all of one bloodline or background, they learned each others’ ways and gave each respect and honor. Their vision was one with the others and their mission was common; therefore, the Huns became a widely-feared force to reckon with. That’s why discipline was so very important to Atilla specifically, but to the overall group as a whole. Unity in heart and vision became paramount to their success.

Which brings us back to the Bible. As Christians, we all come from different backgrounds, from different nations and peoples. Yet we have come together under one Head, one common Leader, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We willingly submit to His vision, to His mission, to His leadership. We don’t, however, see church discipline as much as we did in decades past. We have gotten away from the preaching of sin, we have thrown away the idea of shunning or ex-communicating someone who is in direct violation of church teaching and biblical principles. Paul taught quite extensively about putting someone out of the fellowship if they continued in sin, in order that they might repent. It was never about punishment, but about redemption.

Our scripture today reminds us that God has given us a spirit of power (the dynamic power of the Spirit of Christ to live according to His will), of love (agape love, Christ’s love, for the lost and our brothers and sisters within the Body), and of a sound mind (one of discipline, of determination, or vision). So far, if I were being honest, I may have one out of the three established. I have to allow the Spirit to guide me, to instruct me, to discipline me on the other ones. My prayer is that you scored better than I and I ask you to continue to pray for each other and me. We need each other to make it, to stand strong, to reach the goal. Be strong, my friend.

Be blessed.