A Disciplined Life

This is the seventh message in the Skillful Living Series.

The message today is developing a Life of Discipline

The Lord says a lot to us about how we should live within ourselves.  We are not here to enjoy all that we set our hearts to enjoy.  Life is not supposed to be full of indulging pleasures as we may think or wish.  Instead, for most people the most enjoyable life is the life that finds a reason for hope in a hopeless situation.

This idea of not indulging ourselves is captured in the word temperate.  God wants us to learn to live temperate lives.  Temperate means we have control of our thoughts, of our feelings, of our desires and then ultimately of our actions so that we do not live wanting or needing to have all that we want.

Those who are skillful in how they live, learn to live disciplined lives.  They are temperate in all that they are.  They do not allow themselves to desire too much of anything.  The glass is neither half full nor is it half empty for them.  Whatever is in their glass is just right for them.  It is just what they needed.

Many of us find it impossible to think this way.  We see what is missing in our lives and we set about trying to find it.  Or we see what remains in our lives and we set about trying to keep what is there.  We complain either way about what is missing or about what little remains.  We can never be satisfied with what we have because we are undisciplined.

To those who live skillful lives, they are probably aware of the many scriptures that encourage us to live in a disciplined way.  Disciplined living leads to successful living.  The more you restrain yourself from living for everything, the more of the things you really need you will have.

The book of Titus, 2:1-10 encourages us in living disciplined lives in this way.  It says, “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine; that older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience.”  Titus would go on to speak the same thing to older women and to you men and women.

Discipline says that in all things we are to show ourselves to be a pattern of good works, in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, in sound living that cannot be condemned.”  This scripture says a lot to us.  But the key feature of this scripture is discipline.  You will know you are living a disciplined life because people will see what a life of discipline has done in you.

We cannot live a disciplined life unless we are trained to do that.  God didn’t forget this.  Grace is the teacher He uses to train us to discipline.  It is grace that will teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts so that we live soberly, righteously and Godly right where we are today. Disciplined living should exhort others.  It will never hinder the lives of others.

So if you want to be more skillful in how you live, learn to live a life of discipline.  You cannot have all the things you would like to have.  Stop wanting everything.  There is an old proverb that says if you chase two rabbits you will catch neither.  Discipline would tell you to focus on catching the one rabbit you need for food and you will not go hungry another day.

Here are six ways skillful disciplined people live that makes them more successful than you and I.  Learn these things and adapt them for yourself.

• They develop a sound life of Perspective.  Your life follows how you think.  Learn to think in a sound disciplined way and a sound disciplined life will follow.  You don’t have to have all you want to have all you need.  Learn to think that way.
• They develop a life of Preparation.  They are prepared to be successful at the things they have not had to do yet.  They don’t limit themselves by their skills, they prepare themselves by their wills.
• They develop a sound Way with People.  They learn that they need people more than people need them so they develop a Way with People that makes them easy to be with.
• They develop a life of Courage and Sound Decision-making.  They learn that their motivations are the main reason they try so many things that fail so they develop the courage to live in ways that keeps them temperate in all they are.  They make better decisions as a result.
• Teamwork and Teamplay.  They realize they cannot achieve much on their own, so they learn to discipline themselves to be great at teamwork and better as a team player.  Because of this they learn to have others as the focus of their lives rather than themselves.
• Excellence.  They learn to slow down and live lives of excellence so that excellent work can come from them.  Nothing is so small with them that it cannot be done well.  If excellence is not within you, excellence will not come from you.

So, if you want to be better and more skillful at life, learn to be more skillful and disciplined in the way you live.  Having much of what will pass away profits you nothing.  Disciplined living leads to discipline results.  A lazy person will produce lazy work, but a disciplined person will produce what will last.  The hand of a disciplined person will make them rich in many things, but the life of a slacker will lead them to poverty.

If your life isn’t going the way you want, perhaps its because you are undisciplined in the things you want.  Stop, look, and listen for a new direction.  Then set out to live in a disciplined way and you will find treasures of success along the paths you take. 

Live a Delivered Life.  Love you.