Joel M Bradshaw

1You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.–2 Timothy 2

1. The soldier disciplines his decisions because they are driven by duty.
2. The athlete’s daily decisions are driven by a desire to earn a laurel crown at the games.
3. The farmer’s discipline is completely focused on the future so his family can eat. He is utterly devoted to this goal.

I journey with young men who face addictions and seek help in becoming more disciplined. I tell them that it starts with the “Yes, sir!” mentality of the soldier. Do your duty every day for many weeks. That duty begins to look past the present and towards the future. The obligation to make disciplined choices (repeated daily for a good amount of time) starts to morph into a desire to do so. Eventually, duty and desire lead to devotion. At that point, you understand discipline and are completely oriented towards that goal.

The soldier wanted to please his officer. The athlete wanted the cheers of the crowd and the recognition of victory. The farmer wanted to feed his family. Discipline involves the self, but is best motivated around other people. I am in a great weight-loss journey right now. I am no longer a discipline hypocrite. But it took bringing 200 men in on my accountability! That keeps me motivated!

Paul tied all this to Jesus. Discipline is how we live as disciples. Intentional pun! Get on the duty-desire-devotion journey regarding your discipline!–JMB