Discipline for Soul Growth

The first thing that both the military and the kingdom of God do to its recruits is to instill discipline. The military resorts to rough, fast-track programs and trains its recruits to obey first and ask questions later. The kingdom, on the other hand, is gentle and patient. It treats its recruits with kid gloves and encourages them to seek and ask questions, to supplement fact-knowledge with faith-knowledge, to replace the false with the truth. The molding process does not stop until the recruits become a full-fledged and matured coworker of God. All these are done so that none might be misled by the enemy and miss the mark.

⁷ Keep yourself in training for a godly life. ⁸ Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, for it promises life both for the present and for the future. 1 TIMOTHY 4 tev

One of the disciples said to Y’shua, “Rabbi, what you say is true. I am willing to cut off my hand and pluck out my eyes, as you say. But our soul, while on pilgrimage on earth, is embodied in flesh. There lies the conflict, because the desires of our soul are opposed to the desires of our flesh. Tell us how to control our flesh.”

Y’shua replied, “Barnabas, you are not far from the kingdom of heaven, for you have wisdom. A son of Jerusalem would not build a house in Samaria, for there is enmity between the two. I tell you, keep your flesh like a horse... A horse is given food by measure but it is made to labor without measure. Bridle is put so that the horse may walk at your will. The horse is tied up so that it may not annoy anyone. The horse is kept in a humble abode, and beaten when disobedient. A horse that is accustomed to carry one ounce of cotton finds it difficult to carry so suddenly one hundred pounds, so train it everyday into carrying a heavier load.” (cf. Gospel of Barnabas) 

²⁷ 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. 1 CORINTHIANS 9

How to Develop Discipline

“Learning self-discipline in the little things of life prepares us for big successes. On the other hand, those who are undisciplined in small matters will likely be undisciplined in more important matters,” said John F. MacArthur in The Pillars of Christian Character, Lists to Live By. He made a short list on how to develop discipline. We expound it here:

Get organized. Make a schedule and stick to it. Have a to-do list of tasks you need to accomplish for the day. It teaches you to keep track of your commitments and priorities.

Do the high-priority tasks first. List your things-to-do. Note the time they need to be accomplished. Then do them before the deadline. If two or three have to be accomplished at the same time and you can’t apply multitasking, do the high-priority tasks first. If ever you run out of energy and time, only the low-priority tasks should be left undone.

Be punctual for appointments. Be considerate of the people you deal with. Being late makes them wait needlessly. It wastes their time and often results in wasted opportunities on their part. Learn proper budgeting of your time and to be in control of your situation.

Value your integrity. If you say you are going to do something, do it. Do it when you said you would do it and how you said you would do it. See them through no matter how inconvenient doing them is to you.

Accept correction. Correction helps in showing you what you need to avoid. Thus, it should not be rejected but accepted gladly.

Practice self-denial. 1 Corinthians 9:25 amp says, “Every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things.” Practice self-denial gradually to attain four things: (1) To prove to yourself that it is not really difficult to bridle your cravings, fears, emotions and impulses; (2) To improve your tolerance level of the earthly discomforts; (3) To discipline the flesh. You stop being a slave of your cravings, fears, emotions and impulses, and start being in control over them; and (4) To develop personal stability.

Joyce Mayer wrote, “If we have stability, we do what is right when it feels good and when it doesn’t feel good—we pray when we feel like praying and when we don’t feel like praying, we give when we feel like giving and when we don’t feel like giving; we give away not only what we want to give away, but what we don’t want to give away, if God tells us to do so. [We obey God] when we feel like it and when we don’t feel like it.” (The Making of a Leader)

Welcome responsibility. If something has to be done, do not wait to be told. Volunteer to do it if you are capable of doing it. Always do more than what is expected of you. Do not be afraid of hard work and the sacrifice it requires. Do not hide your talent. Do not be afraid of being criticized or being misunderstood. Make a difference in your neighbor’s life.

If you make a boo-boo, do not cover it or justify it; confess it and accept the blame. What matters to God is your heart. For as long as it toes the path of righteousness, do not be afraid of erring or failing.

Use your free time to do something productive. Read a good book, listen to Gospel music, do physical exercise, or do bonding with a neighbor.

Finish what you have started. Would you tolerate a surgeon who cuts you open and leave the operation unfinished? or a cook who abandons the kitchen before the meal is cooked?

What Else Must Be Done 

Go for higher discipline.   

Go for healthy living.  Divide your day into three parts: eight hours for work, eight hours for home and family, and eight hours for sleep to rejuvenate your body cells enough. Exercise the body to prevent lethargy and muscular atrophy. Be energized by the morning sun for ten minutes at least. Observe personal hygiene. Avoid body pollutants (smoke, bad cholesterol, contaminated food and water, etc.). Do everything in moderation. Be clean in word and action. Bat for good karma; that way you enjoy the warmth, care and affection of your neighbors—both visible and invisible.

²⁷ Son, as you go through life, keep your appetites under control, and don’t eat anything that you know is bad for you. SIRACH 37

²² Flee also youthful lusts. 2 TIMOTHY 2

¹² When you sit down at a fancy banquet, don’t let your mouth hang open and don’t say, “Look at all that food!” ¹³ It is impolite to have a greedy eye; remember that. Nothing in creation is greedier than the eye; that is why it sheds tears so often. ¹⁴ Don’t reach out for everything you see, and don’t elbow people out of the way to get at the food. ¹⁵ Be considerate of the other people at the table and treat them in the way you want to be treated. ¹⁶ When you get your food, eat it like a human being. Don’t smack and slurp; nobody can stand that. ¹⁷ It’s good manners to be the first to stop eating; stuffing yourself is offensive. ¹⁸ If there are many people present, don’t try to be the first to be served. ¹⁹ A little bit is plenty for anyone with good manners. Besides, you won’t be short of breath when you go to bed. ²⁰ People who eat too much get stomach aches and cannot sleep. If you don’t overeat, you can get a good night sleep and wake up early the next day feeling fine. SIRACH 31

³³ So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat [your Sabbath meals], wait for each other. ³⁴ If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. 1 CORINTHIANS 11

¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit… ROMANS 14

³¹ Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God. 1 CORINTHIANS 10

²⁹ Don’t feel that you just have to have all sorts of fancy food, and don’t be a glutton over any food… ³¹ Gluttony has been the death of many people. Avoid it and live longer. SIRACH 37

¹³ “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. 1 CORINTHIANS 6

Stay immersed. Bring your Bible with you wherever you go so you can do Scripture-study whenever you find time. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. If you feel lethargic, rebuke the spirit of lethargy; and pray for vitality and enthusiasm. If you must be tired during the day, be sure to save enough energy for prayer and Scripture-study during the night. See to it that nothing could hinder or interrupt the routine. If your job proves to be a hindrance, go and find another; trust God without any trace of doubt to find you a better one.

Y’shua said, “What do you call a slave who gives the best part of the wine to his master’s enemy and the dregs to his master? Do not be full of life while merrying and drinking and yet be slothful and half-asleep while praying and Scripture-reading. Tell me, when you recline to eat, would it please you if your friend should eat the meat and give you the bones?” Simon Peter answered, “Certainly not! He is not a friend but a mocker!” (cf. Gospel of Barnabas)

Be a conscientious disciple.  Choose a parent in the Lord then submit to him. Confess to him your situation so he would know how to help you. Be honest at all times. Obey and internalize his teachings and techniques. Stay with him until he says that you have mastered them. This is what Christianity (discipleship) is about. When you leave him, have the courtesy to thank him for his services, seek release from him, and tell him where you are going next.

In the olden times, the man who wanted to be a disciple leaves his family and job to join his master. He and his master would live together 24/7, teaching and learning, studying and working. They discussed and memorized the Scriptures and applied them to life. The disciple concentrated on what his master was inside and not on what he was on the outside. 

And what should be your attitude as a disciple? Imagine the new covenant as a fraternity and you a neophyte. Discipline-development is your initiation. You will have to internalize the fraternity way; be steeled, refined and tested in it. Then you will have to survive “hell’s night” or baptism of fire.

¹ Son, if you are going to serve the Lord, be prepared for times when you will be put to the test. ² Be sincere and determined. Keep calm when trouble comes. ³ Stay with the Lord, never abandon Him, and you will be prosperous at the end of your days. ⁴ Accept whatever happens to you. Even if you suffer humiliation, be patient. ⁵ Gold is tested by fire, and human character is tested in the furnace of humiliation. SIRACH 2

¹⁷ At first, wisdom will lead you along difficult paths. She will make you so afraid that you will think you cannot go on. The discipline she demands will be tormenting, and she will put you to the test with her requirements until she trust you completely. ¹⁸ Then she will come to you with no delay, reveal her secrets to you, and make you happy. ¹⁹ But if you go astray, she will abandon you and let you go to your own ruin. SIRACH 4

²² Discipline means just that—discipline, and not many people are able to discipline themselves. ³² Son, you can learn if you want to. You can be clever if you are determined to be. ³³ If you are willing to listen, you will learn and become wise. SIRACH 6

¹ My son, if you accept My words and store up My commands within you, ² turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, ³ and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, ⁴ and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. ⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. PROVERBS 2 

¹³ The compassion of the Lord extends to everything that lives; rebuking, correcting and teaching, bringing them back as a shepherd brings back His flock. ECCLESIASTICUS 18

⁵ And have you forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son. ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰ Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplined us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. HEBREWS 12

Go through discipleship with enthusiasm and gladness.  Say to God:

⁶⁵ Do good to your servant according to your Word, O Lord. ⁶⁶ Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in Your commands. ⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word… ⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees… ⁷⁵ I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me. ⁷⁶ May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant. PSALM 119