Discipline is Tough Work

Having the discipline to spend daily time in the Word has always been challenging for me, especially when I am not following a planned out curriculum of some kind. When left to plan my own reading, I end up reading a chapter or two, here and there – without digging in and reflecting on what I am reading.

The book The Pursuit of Holiness is challenging me once again to take my commitment to God to a deeper level.

In I Corinthians, Paul says that we are to train or discipline ourselves to be godly.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, 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.” I Corinthians 9:24-27

I don’t know about you, but when I read these verses I do not feel like my daily actions have been full of strict training. Instead of running the race to win the prize, I see myself taking a stroll while enjoying the view.

I am not saying this because I think God is not pleased when we are enjoying life. His desire is for us to enjoy what he has given us. However, often I forget that I am running a race. I lose sight of the prize and I get lost and start walking around in circles (so to speak).

To keep my eyes on the prize, I need to create a habit of consuming a healthy diet of the Word of God. I need a planned time each day for reading and studying the bible.

Often I get up in the morning with the intention to read and study but soon enough I get distracted by the things that ‘need’ to be done and before I realize it, I am going to bed.
I want to change this bad habit and I want to become more disciplined in spending time with God.

My plan is to start doing a bible study that is broken down into the different days of the week. I need to go back to that planned out curriculum so I can get in the habit of reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the Word of God. It is time to start that strict training!

Feel free to ask me how I am coming along with my goal.