SELF-DISCIPLINE
The word discipline indicates training or action to inculcate behaviors that are desired. At times, discipline needs to be accompanied by punishment enforced by a parent or a coach or as when the Bible talks of God disciplining his children through suffering. Self-discipline on the other hand, is the process of practicing discipline by one’s own motivation and effort. The words ‘disciple’ and ‘discipline’ have similar origins and it is good to consider that unless discipline is internalized, one cannot be a disciple of God.
Need for self-discipline: Man’s sinful nature tends to pull him away from the right path. In Paul’s words, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”(1Corinth 9:27). Even for a person as committed to God’s work as Paul, temptation was real and dangerous enough to make him go on a path that would make him lose his reward, unless he disciplined himself.
Goal of self-discipline: Much like an athlete who goes through the long hours of monotonous training to win the prize when he competes, a pilgrim has a two-fold motivation to discipline himself. One is the eternal reward that Paul talks about. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. The do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it get a crown that will last forever” (1Corinth 9:25). The index of health in a Christian is the extent to which he is grounded in eternity. To be able to take difficult decisions in this physical life in anticipation of the unseen, eternal life to come requires great faith.
The reward of discipline is not limited to eternity. It is seen in this life as well, because abundance comes to a person who fears God and disciplines himself. ‘He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored’ (Proverbs 13:18). The barrier to self-discipline is the willingness to embrace pain. But this proverb teaches us that pain is inevitable. Either you embrace pain in discipline and enjoy the reward later on; or you could choose to forego pain in rejecting discipline and welcome the pain of poverty and shame later on.
Facilitating self-discipline: Understanding the need for self-discipline and making it part of our lives is critical to having a productive life. And so when God teaches us discipline through suffering or when instructors point out the need for self-discipline, accepting it and affirming it brings success. This requires making a switch from the lifestyle of pleasing self to one of rejoicing through pain. The earlier we do this in our lives, the better. In Solomon’s words, “At the end of your life you will groan, when you flesh and body are spent. You will say, ‘How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly’” (Proverbs 5:11-14).
