Discipline

Happy Sunday. Today we begin our study on spiritual discipline. The author John Guest wrote about a farmer who went out to gather eggs. As he was walking across the barnyard, he noticed that a pump was leaking, so he stopped to fix it.

The pump needed a new washer, so he went to his workshop to get one. On the way to the shop, he noticed that the haloff needed straightening. So, he went to get his pitchfork. And hanging next to the broom, the pitchfork was a broom with a broken handle.

And he decided to go to town for a new broom handle. The story goes on and on. John Guest continued in his writing and he said, "It's clear that the farmer is not going to get his eggs gathered, nor is he likely to accomplish anything else he sets out to do. He's utterly, gloriously spontaneous, but he is hardly free.

He is, if anything, a prisoner to his unbridled spontaneity." The fact of the matter is that discipline is the only way to freedom. I like that quote. Discipline is the only way to freedom.

If you listened to last week's sermon, you know why I began with the devil's greatest weapon, distraction. The distracted farmer needed discipline. And each and every one of us need discipline to become more and more Christlike. Discipline is the opposite of distraction.

Discipline will combat distraction. In Proverbs 25:28, a picture is painted of an undisiplined life. Listen to these words. Like a city breached without walls is one who lacks discipline.

Another version puts it like this. Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls. Now, you've probably seen enough movies. Do you know that once a city's walls are breached, the enemy has free reign?

If you have no spiritual discipline, you will not win the battle. Let me define spiritual discipline. Spiritual discipline is a practice or activity that leads you closer to God. Since there are many ways to do this, I should make this plural and say spiritual disciplines.

That's what we're going to talk about in the weeks ahead. And there are many ways to grow in Christ. Next week we'll start with Bible study. The week after that prayer.

The week after that the discipline of service. There are many disciplines that help us in our growth. And in the weeks ahead we'll talk about disciplines that are taught in scripture. The reason that is important is if we're undisiplined, we can call anything we want to a spiritual discipline.

I could say that gardening or hunting or bird watching or TV watching or any other hobby is a spiritual discipline. The problem is that if we leave it up to ourselves to determine what is best for our spiritual health, we ignore God's prescription. Let me go back to the verse from Proverbs 25:28. It's important.

Like a city breached without walls is one who lacks discipline. The lack of discipline is epidemic in our world. I suppose we all have our own battles. A few years ago, I was asked by a homeless man for help.

I knew him long ago. We were childhood friends, and I was shocked by his situation. He was from a good family. He had a great upbringing.

The problem was that Mike had chosen an undisiplined life. If it felt good, he did it. And as a result of his lack of discipline, he lost his job, his wife, his kids, his health, his reputation. Everything he owned was gone.

Everything he had was gone because of his lack of discipline. He was like a city whose walls were breached. The enemy enemy had no problem getting inside. And it was so sad to see.

I lived in farm country for 15 years when I pastored a church in Indiana. This is a busy time of year for my farmer friends. They are busy in the field planting. My friends there were very disciplined.

I never met one who thought that harvest time would come no matter if the fields were planted or not. That isn't the way it works. To have a great harvest, there must be a lot of work done in planting and tending the crops. Our lives are the same way.

Do you have a spiritual goal to be more Christlike? If so, it will not happen automatically. You must discipline yourself to be more tomorrow than you are today. I hope you join me in the weeks ahead on this wonderful journey.

Pray with me. Lord, give us the want to. Help us to want to do better, to be better, to be more like you. Help us to make it a priority in our lives to have those moments with you.

to always seek you, for you to increase and us to decrease. Make that so. It doesn't happen by happenstance. It will happen through spiritual disciplines.

And we pray that you'd bless us on that journey. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. God bless.

Thanks for joining me today. Have a great disciplined week.