Self-Discipline

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control…” (1 Cor. 9.27a)

Remember making those "New Year's Resolutions"?
So, how are those resolutions working out for you?

February is typically when our snowball of New Year’s resolutions hits the brick wall of daily life, years-long habits, and cold-weather malaise. Historically, gym memberships spike in January, and plummet in mid to late February. Diets are overwhelmed by busy schedules and tight wallets. Spiritual resolutions such as increased Bible reading or prayer lose their novelty and increasingly slip our minds. Without a strong sense of self-discipline, all that we resolve with good intentions fades into regret, shame, and resignation.

Resolutions aren’t all that suffocate without self-discipline. Abstaining from every form of evil (1 Th. 5.22) and repentance from those evils, even when provoked by godly grief (2 Cor. 7.10), rests heavily on one’s personal commitment to refrain. The effort and energy necessary to lead and provide for a family requires self-discipline. Simply treating one another with kindness and patience tests our self-discipline.

In this article we will consider three main aspects of self-discipline from a biblical perspective, and our intent is to help all of us find the same strength of resolve that Paul described in 1 Cor. 9.24-27, the will to run in such a way as to obtain the imperishable prize of our calling in Jesus Christ.

1. Find Your Why

Successful self-discipline must begin by identifying one’s motivations. If one wants to lose weight, for example, “Why?” is the all-important question. Is it for improving your health, reclaiming abandoned items in your closet, or simply to look better in the mirror? The strength of discipline draws from its motivation, and some motivations are stronger than others.

It is also worth noting that not all motivations are the same. Some motivations are positive in nature, as in “Here’s the good thing that will happen if I ______.” Post-secondary education is a great example of this: If one attends the classes & completes the assignments, they can earn a degree and qualify themselves for a desirable job. Negative motivations can motivate just as strongly. These fall into the category of “Here’s the awful thing that will happen if I don’t _____.” Weight loss is often prescribed by doctors under this sort of motivation, citing potential for future health problems if no changes are made.

Self-discipline in the spiritual sphere is no different. The motivations for disciplining oneself must be clearly identified, and these typically sort into positive and negative categories. We can see both in 1 Cor. 9.24-27: “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.”

Positive Spiritual Motivation

In the above passage, Paul describes a positive spiritual motivation: The “imperishable” wreath. Ultimately, Paul’s motivation was the eternal reward promised by Christ to the faithful, the inheritance of the kingdom of God (6.9), or to put it most succinctly, Heaven. It is a prize worthy of ALL disciplines necessary to its pursuit. Paul highlights that he did not discipline himself for no purpose: “I do not run aimlessly…”. This sort of self-discipline was not for apostles only. Paul prayed that the Colossian brethren would “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him” (1.10), citing the same ultimate motivation as in 1 Corinthians: “to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (vv.12). Since we love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, then our greatest desire and reward is to be in His presence for all eternity, and our lives reflect it.

Negative Spiritual Motivation

Also in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul references the deepest negative motivation of them all: “lest I should be disqualified.” Failure to discipline oneself, even after “preaching to others”, only leaves one possible outcome: Hell. Looking into ch. 10 reveals more examples of negative motivation, as Paul provides numerous instances of Israelite faithlessness followed by disaster, concluding the section with these words: “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (vv.12) A more fitting call to self-discipline is hard to find! Those who love God are terrified at the thought of an eternity spent apart from Him, and their lives also reflect this daily.

How does this help us with self-discipline?

Our self-discipline is only as strong as our motivations, and perhaps the greatest motivation is considering what is at stake, both positively and negatively:

“7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6.7-9)

2. Hammer Out How

Our self-discipline ultimately means living Christ-like lives. This is a battle fought on many fronts, and as we evaluate our walk we will see needs for improvement. How can we systematically attack these needs and achieve greater self-discipline?

Suppose you are trying to discipline your tongue and eliminate the use of profanity. An ideal goal would be “I’ll always speak as Christ spoke.” Noble, but not specific enough. Version 2: “I’ll never use profanity again.” Noble and specific, but probably not realistic. How about “I’m not going to swear for the rest of the day.” This is in keeping with Christian language (1 Pet. 3.10), while much more achievable in the short term. Celebrate the small victories and remember that the only day you must be self-disciplined is Today.

We can greatly improve our self-discipline by either MAKING TIME for what we need to do, or REMOVING TIME to stifle unwanted behavior. Trying to be self-disciplined in prayer? Set hourly reminders on your phone to pray, and make it happen. Need to be better about visiting with folks? Set a date & time, and then keep it. Struggling with pornography use? Don’t give yourself the TIME or the opportunity to give in again. Set your schedule to your spiritual advantage, “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5.16)

Those serious about dieting remove problematic foods from their homes. Recovering alcoholics learn to avoid bars, taverns, and certain aisles in stores. The lesson? Identify threats to your self-discipline and eliminate them. Social media leading you to sin? Delete the accounts. “Bad company” corrupting your “good morals”? (1 Cor. 15.33) Find new friends. Jesus spoke of cutting off hands and gouging out eyes rather than sinning (Matt. 5.29-30), & none of us have resisted sin to the point of death. (Heb. 12.4) Learn to banish what threatens the pursuit of our calling in Christ Jesus.

This will be good, but no one said it would be easy.

3. Calculate the Collapse

If we took a long hard look in the mirror, eventually we would realize why we need to account for our propensity to fail. If we were already spiritually self-disciplined, we would not be having this discussion.

In a sense, we have already failed at what we are trying to achieve. With this in mind we should anticipate and account for potential failures, preparing to patch leaks rather than abandon ship.

At Jamestown we’re following a Mon./Tue./Thur./Fri. yearly bible reading schedule, which certainly helps us be disciplined in our reading of scripture. What if you miss a day? One of our elders has this plan: “If I miss a day or two, I make them up on Saturday.” That’s not an excuse for failure: It’s a strategy for course correction. When it comes to sin, God has already given us a plan: Repentance, asking His forgiveness in prayer, and confessing our sins to one another. (Acts 8.22; James 5.16; 1 John 1.9) Self-discipline is as much about consistently returning to the path as it is remaining true to it!

If we are truly serious about being self-disciplined, we will search out those who can guide us and others who can keep us accountable. If we could do it by ourselves, wouldn’t we have done it already??? Why else are we told to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10.24), if not for the fact that WE NEED IT! I get it: It is far easier to struggle in silence and isolation. That way, when we fail (or give up), no one knows but us. Don’t let isolation give you an escape strategy. Recruit help. Heaven is worth it.

If you stumble and fall, get up and try again.

• Remember your motivation, your “Why”. Let those propel you toward improvement and repentance. Pray for help and strength.
• Don’t lower the standard. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
• Keep your schedule. Failure on Monday has absolutely zero effect on Tuesday.
• Nuke the temptation. It clearly won that battle, and you’re not interested in a protracted war.
• Contact your brethren in Christ. Maybe one person, maybe a dozen. We need one another!!!