The Discipline of Self-Control
Introduction
The young man arrived home and knew he
needed something to calm his nerves. His anxiety would often get the better of
him after a hard day of work. The work itself was not the source of his
anxiety. He loved working with his patients. He was a personal support worker; a
kind of front line worker at the hospital. He was the one who was up close and
personal with the patients. He would be the one to make their beds and see that
they were cleaned, fed and clothed. Normally, he would be assigned the care of 8
patients for a shift. Since the Covid pandemic everything changed. Now every
day was a blur of activity. Unreasonable demands and excessive workloads were
put on everyone on the ward. The increased and unrelenting pressure caused many
of the staff to quit. Staff turnover meant that the hospital was constantly
hiring new staff in need of training and orientation. Mistakes were made due to the inexperience of
the newer ones and the pressure that everyone felt. Tempers grew short. Supervisors and staff alike would snap at one
another. The joy that was normally part of his experience evaporated under the
pressure of the immense load of work expected from everyone these days. And so
Pete would stop by the cannabis store (it was now legal to smoke marijuana in
Canada) to buy marijuana. It was the only way he knew how to relax after an
anxiety filled day.
Pete was a Christian. He became a believer
while attending a church about 3 years ago. He even attended baptism classes. How
well he remembered the day that he went under the water to demonstrate to his
world not only of his newfound love for Jesus Christ but of his resolve to deny
himself, pick up his cross and follow his Lord and Saviour.[1]
That was 3 years ago. Some things changed
in his life almost immediately. No more wild parties where he would get drunk
and be led into all kinds of out-of-control excesses. He had a purpose in life
now. Life was not meaningless. For a
while he had a God-given voracious appetite for the Bible. He read the Bible daily
at work and at home. He collected and read books about the Bible. It was a life-changing
leap forward for him. He developed new relationships in the church he attended
and would soon occasionally even be asked to teach a Bible class. His pastor
recognized an ability in Pete that need to be encouraged and honed. His
marijuana habit remained a secret.
Pete’s life was rather disorganized, and
he knew it. Since he had been born again, there were some things in life that
he found very difficult. Developing new habits was always a challenge. His
mother died while he was quite young. During Pete’s formative years his father
was busy making ends meet with two jobs. He was rarely home before dark. As a
result there was little to no structure to Pete’s younger years. He grew up
without much guidance and even less discipline. He was left to figure out life
on his own.
Although he was a smart lad, (that’s what
the teachers and his aptitude tests would tell him) he lacked ambition.
Homework was often ignored. For awhile he got by on simply remembering what he
had heard or read. Half-way through high school, he quit his education out of
boredom and to escape the bullying in his all-boys class. It was easy to get a
job in those days.
The Problem
Years later as a believer he would say that he regretted the decision to drop
out of high school because God had given him a thirst for learning. Still, even
now he wished he could have that first glow of enthusiasm, that passion that
drove him to study the Bible and be involved in church life when he became a
Christian. The same passivity and indifference that led him to quit his
schooling was now creeping back into his daily life. It was becoming a problem.
He would never say that he regretted his decision to follow Jesus Christ. He only
wished that the surge of motivation that fueled his faith in the early days of
his experience with Christ would have lasted. Why was life now mostly drudgery
and routine?
Pete was now learning that the walk of faith was not going to be like riding
the crest of a wave. Pete thought that the Holy Spirit would continue to fire
him up with energy. What was it, Pete
wondered? Some Christians had an immediate overnight transformation. As a
result they would drop all their bad habits easily. He had a friend who was
once seriously addicted to both gambling and alcohol. When that friend became a
believer he was miraculously freed from the desire for both drinking and
gambling. Why could that not have
happened to him, he wondered? Would this craving for the relief that marijuana gave
him not leave? Other Christians would tell him to just pray harder or to simply
read the Bible.
Of course it wasn’t just the addiction
that bothered him. He was beginning to eat excessively. He would even buy the
occasional case of beer and drink more than he should. At home he was sloppy
and would often wait until he had no clean clothes before doing the laundry.
Pete never felt like he was actively living life. He was letting life happen.
In other words, he was living life passively. He had no real goals. He had no
ambitions. He knew he was saved, and that was his hope, and he was often made
aware that he needed to get serious again about his relationship to the Lord.
But why was he always slipping back into mediocrity whenever he tried to
improve his laissez-faire lifestyle? What was the problem?
Pete had lost sight of the fact that there
was a necessary maturing process in the believer’s life that was not just
automatic. There are components to the Christian life for which Christians are
responsible. There comes a time in an infant’s life where it needs to feed
itself. In the human life there are stages of growth. So too in the Christian’s
life. In 2 Peter 1:3 it almost seems like it happens automatically because it
says that “…His divine power
has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence[2]. But then in verse 5 the inspired
writer tells us that we must, with all diligence add to our faith various
qualities.
5 For this very reason, make every
effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with
brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.[3]
If these
qualities are added to our lives, they keep you from being ineffective or
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. There it was.
Self-control was in the middle of that list!
As this realization dawned on Pete, that
he had not spent any time or energy working on the development of these
virtues, he knew he had to repent. The sin of sloth had wreaked havoc in his
life. He had not lifted a finger to pursue or develop any of these virtues in
his ongoing walk with God.
Therefore he decided now to commit himself
seriously to the growth process. This was not a trivial decision. Nor was it a
simple confession of a trivial sin. This was a seminal moment in his life, and
he recognized that this moment of decision was absolutely critical if he was
ever going to grow into a mature Christian.
After spending an intense time with the
Lord in prayer, repenting and meditating on God’s word, He would start by working on self-control. This virtue was central to all of
the others. If he had no self-control, then how was he going to be consistent
with anything else? He realized that self-control (or self-discipline) had been
missing all of his life. All those years of living life by his own rules as a
teenager had taken its toll. It was time to find a remedy. The first thing he
needed to do was to find an accountability partner. He did not want this to be
a false start. He had tried a few times before, but his attempts always fizzled
out. Then he decided to spend much of his free time in study. He needed to
understand how it happens that Christians grow stronger, more mature and more
consistent.
Definition of self-control
First, Pete did a study and made note of
every biblical passage where self-control was mentioned.
Here is a list of some of them.
A man without self-control is like a city broken
into and left without walls. (Proverbs 25:28)
…women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and
self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire… (1
Timothy 2:9)
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,
sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach… (1 Timothy
3:2)
…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1:7)
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. (Titus 2:6)
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be
self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. (1 Peter 4:7)
For this very reason, make every effort to
supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge
with self-control… (2 Peter 1:5-6)
He looked at the synonyms of
self-control, like temperance, sobriety and self-discipline. He noted that in
each context where the concept appeared, self-control was either an ability to
do something good that a person does not naturally want to do or it is also the
ability to keep from doing something detrimental to spiritual health but that a
person naturally desires to do. One does not need to exercise restraint from
actions that are undesirable.
Here are a couple of simple examples. It
is natural to want to eat ice cream on a hot day. But if obesity was a problem,
one would have to exercise restraint (or self-control). Pete could see that restraining
desires that moved him in the wrong direction was a problem for him. How would
he restrain himself from doing what HE wanted to do, rather than doing what the
Lord desired for him? Here was another simple example. Most people do not like
to get up early to spend some quiet time with the Lord. Self-control is needed
in order to get up, whether I feel like it or not. So here we have self-control
working in the opposite direction. Doing good things that require me to do
something I do not really want to do.
So let’s repeat this: self-control is the
skill or ability to consistently do some things that I don’t naturally like to
do; things that I would not do if Christ was not in my life. It is also the
ability to consistently restrain myself from doing some things that are
detrimental to my spiritual (or physical) health that I naturally (apart from
Christ) like to do.
Pete recognized that his pattern had been
to live by his feelings. Outside of his 9-5 job, if he didn’t feel like doing
something, he didn’t do it. If he felt like doing something, he did it. He was
beginning to see now that this was no way to live if he was going to grow in
his relationship to Christ and become a mature Christian.
Self-control – Spiritual or
non-spiritual?
The next question that occurred to him: how
did the fruit of the Spirit differ from the natural abilities and skills that humans
have before becoming followers of Christ. In Galatians he read,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law. [4]
Also in
the passage that was already mentioned at the beginning of the article in 2
Peter 1, self-control is something that is added into the Christian’s life as
he or she grows.
“So,” he thought to himself, “if
self-control is a part of the fruit of the Spirit, how come people who do not
have the Holy Spirit in their lives seem to have more self-control than I do in
many areas of their lives?”
He enjoyed watching sports programs on TV
and was often astonished at how healthy and disciplined some of these athletes
were. One athlete had written an autobiography and in it, he read that the
athlete would get up at 4 A.M. every morning, run ten miles before breakfast, then
do weight training for four hours under the directions of a coach. The
athlete’s diet was even more rigorous.
Obviously self-control was not only something that happened to Christ-followers.
This would require more thought. As he mused on this problem it suddenly struck
him. Didn’t the Apostle Paul himself used the athlete as a metaphor in the
Bible? Immediately he turned in his Bible to 1 Cor 9.
24 Do you not know that in a race
all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?
So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every
athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a
perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So
I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my
body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should
be disqualified. [5]
“Hmmm,”
Pete thought to himself. “Running aimlessly. That’s what I have been doing for
most of my life.”
Paul was
familiar with the stringent and difficult training to which Olympic athletes
would subject themselves. He had also read somewhere that gladiators in 1st
century Rome were known as “barley men” because they would restrict themselves
to eating grains and mostly vegetables. That took a lot of self-control.
Therefore
it wasn’t just exercising the body but it was also a strict diet! Of course,
Paul was not trying to advocate a diet or a physical exercise routine. He was using the self
discipline that was necessary for the athlete to achieve those goals as an
example for the Christian so that he would engage his or her self-control in
the area of spiritual disciplines – the kind of action necessary to grow
spiritually and to become all that we were meant to be as ambassadors for
Christ. And certainly spiritual growth must happen if we are to evidence the
fruit of the Spirit.
Is there
a clue in that same paragraph to help us understand the difference between the
self-control and discipline of an non-believing athlete and a believer in
Christ? Yes there is. Paul says, “They do it to receive a perishable wreath,
but we an imperishable.” [6]
The motive for doing
what the Christian does makes all the difference. It has everything to do with the
question of why we do it. In Bible times athletes would compete for a wreath, a
laurel crown and the prestige that comes with it. In our day athletes compete
in order to win a ribbon, a medal or
maybe even a monetary prize and of course they too would compete for the
recognition and the prestige.
The Christian is not
competing with other Christians. He is competing with himself to improve his
service and his devotion to the Lord. He is aiming at a reward that waits for
him in heaven. Pete briefly wondered about the thought of reward. How does the
thought of reward not appeal to the tendency towards selfishness in all of us? Pete
decided to study that topic some other time. For now it was enough to know that
he was at war with the forces within his own heart that conspire to sabotage
him and his goals. He was so determined to improve his ability to discipline
himself because it seemed central to everything else.
While Pete was
thinking about the differences between the self-control of a non-believer and
the self-control that the Holy Spirit brings to the believer’s life, he did
some research. He discovered that neuroscientists had already discovered that there
is a part of the brain that is mostly responsible for characteristics like decision-making,
determination, resilience, and tenacity. These are all qualities that make up
self-control. He learned that those parts of the brain are much larger in
athletes, scholars and others who chose career paths or hobbies that required a
lot of self-discipline. In a certain
sense, he could see then that self-control can behave very much like a muscle
that is strengthened by reason of use. In his own case, he could see that his
brain was greatly underutilized and therefore his will to be consistent had
been very weak. Peter was wise. He did not blame an under-developed section of
the brain for his lack of discipline. He knew that he was responsible.
This new information led
Pete to yet another train of thought. He had recognized early in life that people
are generally motivated (or demotivated) by pleasure and pain. He remembered the
fable of that proverbial donkey that
would either be motivated by the carrot that was held in front of his snout,
forever out of reach or it was motivated by the stick that the donkey’s owner
would use if the carrot was not enough to move it forward.
In the human realm
and in the world of reality, the prospect of pain will often divert us from
moving towards our goal, and the prospect of pleasure would have the opposite
effect. The desire for pleasure would move us towards the goal.
Wouldn’t that hinder
us from moving towards our goal if our goal involved difficulty, resistance and
pain? It certainly would if there was only pain and resistance and no hope of
reward and the joy of achievement.
Pete remembered a passage
that spoke precisely about this. Once again the author uses the rigor of an
athlete to illustrate the journey of faith before us. It was speaking of Jesus
and what motivated him.
“Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God.[7]
“Why must this journey be endured,” Pete asked himself? Endurance reminded
him more of a marathon. Marathons are painful. They must be endured. But where
is the joy in endurance? Why subject himself to the pain? The verse just quoted above informs us.
Jesus had his eyes on something beyond the pain and the shame of the
cross. What He had his eyes fixed on was going to be worth all the suffering
and shame that a cruel Roman crucifixion would cause Him. Pete saw that this
is what lies at the heart of spiritual self-control. The thought of eternal
reward and joy together with the example of Jesus at the cross.
Jesus could have whispered a prayer and legions of angels would have
come to rescue Him. Rescue was a breath of a prayer away. It would have been so
easy. It must have been a powerful temptation for Him. But Jesus did not
exercise that option. He chose instead to allow the mockery, the scourging with
the whip, the humiliation by the Roman soldiers. He remained nailed to the
cross, shamefully exposed to the multitude watching Him die by crucifixion, the
kind of execution reserved for the lowest class of criminals in their society. Worst
of all was the three hours of darkness that ended with his agonizing cry “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It is not difficult to imagine that it
was during those dark hours that the sin of the world was laid upon his
shoulders. To experience the separation of the Father from the Son who in
eternity past knew only a harmonious perfect union with His Father was an agony
that must be indescribable. What was it that kept Him from whispering that
prayer for divine rescue during those awful hours?
The Word of God tells is that it was for the joy that was set
before Him. The joy that was awaiting Him must have been so strong a motivation
that it overwhelmed the need to be relieved of that pain and suffering he was
going through. What would the cause of that joy be that Jesus anticipated so
strongly that it made him willing to die? There were several things.
1. In
that well known passage in Philippians 2 on the humiliation of Christ we read: 9 Therefore God also has highly
exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on
earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[8]
Jesus knew that God would be glorified through his obedience and
submission through all of this. Even as the Son of God, he had to “learn”
obedience. That intrigued Pete. The writer of Hebrews says “8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience
through what he suffered”.[9]
This was theology of the highest order. He had
learned early in his Christian life that Jesus was without sin. This revelation
about Jesus learning obedience would mean that it was possible to learn
obedience without necessarily being disobedient. Once again, this would be a
topic of discussion he would have with his pastor.
Jesus had a singular goal when He came to this earth. He came “not to
be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”[10] This was Jesus’ mission, which He accomplished
wonderfully. He lived a life of service and became an example for others like
Pete to follow. In John 13, where Jesus demonstrated being a servant, it would
have taken self discipline for Jesus to wrap a towel around his waist and then
stoop to wash the feet of each of his disciples. Foot washing was a humble and
even a demeaning task that was generally reserved for the house-servant or
slave. Again and again, Jesus showed by his example that he would endure
unpleasant tasks in order to achieve something wonderful in the end.
Pete concluded then
that it was important to keep the long-term reward in mind, in order to
overcome the short term resistance, pain or difficulty.
2.
There
is a wonderful verse in the book of Hebrews that explains further what enabled
Jesus to remain on the cross. It says there, “14 Inasmuch then as the children
have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that
through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage. [11]
The goal of robbing Satan of the power of death, and thus freeing us
from bondage to that same fear was a huge accomplishment and a great reward. “Robbing”
might be the wrong word to describe this conquest. It implies that Jesus took
what did not rightfully belong to him. Yhis of course was not true. The power of life and death rightfully belong
to Jesus. It was FOR US. He died in order to free us from bondage. This meant then
that the joy that kept him on the cross was the prospect of our complete and
utter freedom and redemption! The thought of bringing us to heaven to unite us
with Himself and His and our Father was His joy and delight. It was difficult
for Pete to sit still as he reflected on these precious thought.
Implementation
Pete was already starting to change some of his lifestyle habits. He was sleeping
regular hours and would always start his day by reading a few verses in the
Bible. Then he would pray about what he had just read, as well as dedicating
his day to God.
How was he going to maintain consistency with these new found habits?
The writer of Hebrews says “3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from
sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls[12]
Here is the help that Pete needed. In other words, think and meditate on
the person of Christ. Let Jesus and his example be your joy. Think of what He
had to endure. Think about the eternal destiny of the path that you are on. The
thought of heaven’s reunion with our loved ones as well as meeting Jesus face
to face will overcome the resistance you feel when the exercise of self-control
is called for.
The self-control that the Holy Spirit brings to our inner man is
therefore different from the self discipline that an athlete draws upon, even
though Paul uses the analogy of the athlete extensively. It seemed to Pete then
that the Holy Spirit takes the natural ability that we all have to control
ourselves, and He amplifies it, sanctifies and redeems it for his purposes - a
sort of reconfiguration of the natural ability. And do not overlook the fact
that everything that is ours by way of natural ability is also from our
Creator-God.
First of all, there is the motivation. It comes from the Holy Spirit,
who brought us an entirely different world view. He teaches us to care about
the Spiritual Life. He teaches us that there are moral values that we need to
adopt and hang on to as precious to us because these are the values that Jesus
Himself held. The purpose of the Christian life was to become like Christ, was
it not? Self-discipline is required to grow
and maintain some of those values. Self-discipline is required to overcome the
resistance of the old nature that Pete would feel.
Before he became a believer, it was not a big deal for him to steal the
occasional item that didn’t belong to him.
What about falsifying data on an income tax return? It is so easy to lie to the government. Yet now
as a believer Pete has learned that theft and bearing false witness is a sin. It
goes against the Spirit of Christ. It works against the very person that Christ
wanted him to become. The Holy Spirit would bring those truths to his heart and
he would have the self-control to resist
those temptations because he would be motivated to live for the Lord and not
for himself. After all, that is what Pete declared symbolically by his baptism.
Secondly his self-control would be strengthened by the thought of his eternal
destiny. Before becoming a follower of Christ he didn’t think much about the
afterlife. In fact he avoided thinking about it. The materialist would not
believe in a soul or spirit because the soul and spirit are immaterial. Pete recognized that he was
once a practical atheist. If that was the case (as most people think) then
there is no future reward to gain or no punishment to avoid. When you die, your
body lies in the ground and that’s all there is. Therefore as long as you don’t
hurt anyone, you can basically do anything you want. You wouldn’t have to give
an account for all the injustices that were committed furing your life time.
As a believer, Pete knew that there is more to life than that. It cannot
be that the despots and villainous politicians will get away with the evil that
they have committed. The Bible teaches us that those who are Christ-followers
will not only have a wonderful reunion to look forward to; there will also be
rewards, based on our works (1 Cor 3:5-20).
The self-discipline then that comes from the Holy Spirit brings us
motivation and orientation in the same way that a ship is powered by an engine
(motivation) and is led by the North star (orientation or a compass). There is
the unrelenting ‘push’ or encouragement of motivation and the inexorable ‘pull’
of our future life with our Creator.
Pete had come to realize it wasn’t just direct acts of disobedience that
become weights (or disincentives). It was simply neglect. He had not been exercising
self-discipline. In that sense even the experts (those who study the brain) say
that the ability to control oneself can be strengthened (or weakened) by use or
lack of use, just like the muscles in our body.
We can actually practice self-discipline and in doing so, we will
develop that aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Just like resistance training, self-discipline
takes place when we practice doing what we normally do not want to do. When
this realization dawned on Pete, his mind went to Romans 7.
In the last half of the chapter Paul is essentially telling us, “The
struggle is real!” Pete did not understand everything that was written there.
Here is what he read.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of
the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate. 16 Now
if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no
longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that
is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability
to carry it out. 19 For
I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on
doing. 20 Now if I
do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within
me. [13]
Pete obviously recognized that he was not wired to do what God would
have him do. Furthermore, he recognized that so many of his desires and actions
were natural, i.e. fleshly and worldly. It’s almost as if he was instinctively
programmed to think and do things that were harmful to his spiritual growth. The
word states “. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do
not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.[14]
Pete understood at
least that there was an internal war that needed to be fought. How will he win
this internal war? Paul admitted “18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)
nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is
good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not
do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.[15]
There is
a major interpretive problem with this passage. Pete knew that commentators and
theologians routinely struggle with this question, “Is Paul here describing a
struggle that he had before he became a Christian or after he became a
Christian?” Here was another question that he would bring to his pastor. This
was going to be a tough one.
He took
comfort in the answer that Paul gave to his own question. It’s almost as if he
builds up towards a crescendo as he asks the agonizing question: “Who will
deliver me from this body of death?”
The answer
followed the question
“25 Thanks be to God through Jesus
Christ our Lord!”[16]
There it
is again. Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour and Redeemer is the answer. And with
the writer of Hebrews telling us to “consider Jesus… ”, Pete was getting closer
to understanding not only the theory of self-discipline, but actually carrying
out what he has intended to do.
Intention versus Action
Pete knew
that often in the past, he would state his intentions, if not to others, then
to himself. After hearing a good sermon on a Sunday morning, he would feel the
conviction of the Holy Spirit, convicting him to do correct something in his
life. By the time he got home from church and after discussing the latest hocky
game with some of his friends at the restaurant, his conviction had evaporated
like raindrops on a hot sidewalk. By the time he got home and had his routine
Sunday afternoon nap, all intentions were forgotten until the next Sunday.
Pete was
determined that things would change. It had to! He had made himself accountable
to his Pastor. He saw that one of the challenges he faced was the way he used his
smart phone. Certainly it could be a blessing too. But he knew that the
constant scrolling on social media was affecting his ability to focus. If he
was going to learn and grow in the area of self-discipline, he would have to
relearn the ability to focus on the matter at hand. He deleted some of his
social media accounts. In fact he decided to get a minimalist phone so that he
would not constantly be interrupted and diverted. He started reading anything
he could on the topic of focus.
Secondly,
he began to journal. He would write about his journey and document his
struggles to find focus and discipline in his life.
The
pursuit of self-discipline was now becoming the priority in his life. Pete felt
as if this was an all-important matter. He was getting more consistent in some
areas. Others began to notice some changes. He adopted the slogan - Consistency
pays in compound interest. Yet there was more to learn.
Habits
Pete had
read somewhere that it took several weeks of consistent action before that
desired activity becomes a habit. So he
began setting goals for himself. Instead of saying to himself, “I want to exercise
every day” he said, “I will spend 30 minutes 5 days a week to physical
exercise.”
A Christian friend of his asked him, “Why are you focusing on the physical
body? Shouldn’t you be giving all your attention to the spiritual side of
things?”
Peter had
to think about that for awhile. He discovered that some of the spiritual giants
of the past whom we look up to regarded the health and fitness of our bodies as
very important. As he began to work out, he noticed that the cloud that would
often befuddle his brain was lifted. He experienced less and less lethargy.
Another theologian that he read stated that a requirement for a healthy
spiritual life is a good night’s sleep! He may have overstated the case, but
still, Pete saw that there was a clear connection between fitness of the body
and fitness of the soul and spirit.
Pete was
well on his way. He understood now that neglect and sloth had defeated him for
a few years. Now that his love for Christ and what He has done was rekindled,
he was getting consistent in his study times.
One more
thing that he did was to use visuals wherever his eyes landed the most. A towel
was a symbol for servanthood. This would remind Him that Jesus came to serve
us. A crown would remind Him of Jesus rewarding Him some day. A throne would
remind him of the fact that even NOW, God regards the Christian as being seated
with Jesus Christ in heavenly places. Pete would try to visualize the person
that he hoped to become by God’s grace and that anticipation began to pay
dividends in Pete’s life. Oh yes, and the marijuana habit? It dropped off like
a leaf in the autumn as Pete occupied himself with Jesus, his wonderful Saviour
and Lord.
[1] Matt 16:24
[2] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (2 Pe 1:3). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[3] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (2 Pe 1:4–8). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[4] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Ga 5:22–23). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[5] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (1 Co 9:24–27). (2016). Crossway
Bibles.
[6] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (1 Co 9:25). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[7] The New King James
Version (Heb 12:1–2). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[8] The New King James
Version (Php 2:9–11). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[9] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Heb 5:8). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[10] The New King James
Version (Mt 20:28). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[11] The New King James
Version (Heb 2:14–15). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[12] The New King James
Version (Heb 12:3). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[13] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Ro 7:14–20). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[14] The New King James
Version (Ro 7:15). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[15] The New King James
Version (Ro 7:18–19). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[16] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Ro 7:24–25). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
