Discipline

I suppose that the discipline shown in my blog would make the title of this blog seem a bit out of place.  When we think of how many areas of discipline we have in our lives, it is almost overwhelming to try to get them all under control.  Trying to keep up a blog to organize thoughts and lessons learned, eating right, exercising, flossing (one of my least favorites), personal and familial devotional times, patience, love, sympathy, time schedule, work & family responsibilities - to say nothing of disciplines that other people's blogs remind me of.

So which discipline do I work on first?  Well, that is the easy question.

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." - I Timothy 4:8

In thinking of discipline, I have come to the conclusion that discipline breeds discipline.  Discipline in one area of our lives is bound to influence other areas of our lives as well.  But when I think about the discipline of godliness, I'm hard pressed to find an area of discipline that I should have in my life that it doesn't address.  Since there is no area of our lives that is not addressed by the truths of Scripture, there is no area of discipline that remains untouched by a commitment to godliness.  Even beyond that, a pursuit of godliness will correct any deviant disciplines in our lives.  Are we disciplined to increase our wealth?  Scripture will correct that.  Are we disciplined to watch a particular show?  Or to entertain ourselves?  Scripture will correct that. 

I'm not a fan of new year's resolutions.  Partly because they are often made with a "doubt I will do it" attitude, and partly because the "new year" is just another day.  But each day we can resolve ourselves to discipline ourselves unto godliness.  And at the end of the year?  I can guarantee that we will have progressed much better than any other resolution could take us.  The Bible's words actually guarantee that for us.

Happy New Year! :)