Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:11 Discipline is the "D" word that makes our flesh recoil. Because, at first, discipline is difficult and laborious. It takes no effort to let your yard become a Missouri prairie, but it takes some labor to make it the lawn and garden you want it to be. Bible intake is sometimes a decided effort, and certainly, obeying God's Word takes discipline. But we know that in all labor there is profit. Jesus said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me." That yoke is the authority that He has to teach us. He is the great Head of the Church. He studied and knew the Scriptures. He quoted, "It is written. . ." He disciplined Himself to be familiar, in His humanity, with the Word. We are not above our Master. His ways are to be our ways. A life steeped in the truths of the Bible is a noble way of life!

Oswald Chambers, author of "My Utmost for His Highest," said, "It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble." Nothing worth anything in life is easy. We know that the path of least resistance bears the least result.

A noble life of discipline is a life lived in a manner worthy of the Gospel. It's walking in the light. It's walking in love. It's walking in the Spirit. God is looking for people who are going to lean into this thing, and that's really what we signed on for in Christ -- to be doers of the Word, to commit and discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7).

Pursuing discipline,
Pastor Jeff



© 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.