Disciplinary Actions

Discipline. 

Go ahead, admit it.  Just the word strikes some kind of fear in your heart.  Maybe you remember as a child being spanked, put it "time-out", placed under restriction, or had something taken away.  And it was the result of your misbehavior, failing to do as you were asked, or as punishment for failing to meet expectations.  Regardless, discipline, as we know it and are most familiar, is less than pleasant. 

And from a parental view, that is the point, to correct a behavior and prevent it from reoccuring.  We all have expereinced discipline as children in one fashion or another. As a child, my parents were not shy about applying direct force to the southern region of my waistline.  They were never abusive.  Truly, discipline was applied out of love.  This is a concept that as a child I could not understand.  What child, in the midst of expereincing discipline, can?  But as an adult, and a father at that, I understand the purpose of discipline more than ever.  When my four year old son, Adam, misbehaves, a disciplinary action is necessary.  For the most part, explaining the situation, what offense has occured, and why it should nmot be repeated, works.  For the most part, Adam understands this.  However, there are times when his four year old mind and his inherent sin nature collide, and more drastic measures are taken. 

And it kills me to make him cry.  It breaks my heart.  But I must do this in order for my child to grow up and be a respected young man, one who seeks to honor God with his life.  I want my son to learn discipline early on in life so he can practice a life style of discipleship through adulthood.  Adam will develop his worldview of God based on...me.  Now that is a scary thought!  But if I desire him to embrace his Heavenly Father, I have to be the biblical example as an earthly father. 

Adam knows I love him, and would die for him. 
He know I will always love him, unconditionally. 
He knows that I want the very best for him. 
He knows I work in order to provide for him.

All these (and more) are things that Jesus says He does for His children.  He died on the cross, so I may live.  He loves me right where I am, but loves me too much to let me stay there.  He came to give me life, and life more abundant.  He provides wisdom, direction, counsel, protection, and....discipline. 

Proverbs 5:23 says that "He dies for lack of discipline..."  Solomon is telling his son to stay clear of adulterous activity, whether it is with a women or not.  He tells him not to stray from the path of rightousness, rooted in God.  This takes discipline.  Understand that the root word for discipline is "disciple".  A disciple is one who follows another.  Jesus had thousands of disciples when He walked the earth, 12 of which were very close, one of which betrayed Him.  They devoted themselves to Christ.  They loved Him.  They lived Him. 

Stonewall Jackson famously said at the beginning of the Civil War, "It is good to get your dander up in a fight, but it is discipline that wins the day."  Without discipline, we flounder, we wander, we struggle, we....die. 

What disciplinary actions do I need to take in my life to ensure I stay the course?  Where in my life do I need to be discipled in Christ, so that I may truly expereince the joy-filled, abundant life He speaks of? 

Discipleship is only completed when we reach Heaven and spend eternity with our Savior.  Until then, grow today in His grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), study God's word to learn something new (Ezra 7:10), practice discipline in your own life. 

And live.