All love and honor is Yours, O King of Kings and Lord of Lords, for You have shown me that discipline is not easy to undergo … yet, as I conform to it, the fruits of peace, joy and righteousness begin to flourish in my life. Since the words discipline and disciple have so much in common, it is not surprising that in order to become a disciple I must exercise self-discipline in all aspects of my life. The very act of being conformed to Your will demands that I be reshaped and molded into Your likeness. This will involve both Your discipline and my self-discipline in order to be successful. If I do not submit to Your wishes, my talents will go unused and I will squander Your blessings. My desire, as a disciple, is to always be willing to do Your work … and keep doing it … until I reap the rewards of a good and faithful servant.
In order to become an overcomer, I must follow Your instructions on how to lead my life and not resist Your correction when I do not obey. I promise to do everything in my power to supplement my faith with good works, Godly Wisdom, self-control, endurance and righteous living. As good is produced in my life, it will become a testimony of Your goodness and love. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will examine myself daily to see if any corruption has crept into my life. If it has, I will purge myself of the effects of my sins through confession and repentance … and, if not, I will not weary from continuing to do the things You have taught me to do. To be a true disciple, I must accept Your discipline and recognize Your authority over me. Within Your discipline are the tools to train, mature and develop me. If I reject Your instruction or discipline, I am destined for failure. To be a disciple is to understand discipline … why I need it and which of my behaviors need to change.
If I am honest with myself, a disciplined life gives me more control. The more disciplined I become, the more control I exercise over sin and the desires of my flesh. Your way is far better than letting my flesh and circumstance dictate my actions. Show me the way to humility so that I might find the path of least resistance to Your will. I know that You cannot build character in me without my cooperation. If I resist Your will, You will chasten me until I repent. And when I repent, You will then be able to accomplish Your work through me. You are not looking for me to be perfect, rather to be a faithful and diligent servant who serves You with maturity and steadfastness. Help me, My Lord, to be a disciplined disciple … able to use my time wisely … obeying all of Your commands … and, worshipping You with much joy. As I walk with You daily, I am coming to better understand the connection between discipline and discipleship. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the man You discipline, O Lord; the man You teach from Your law.