Discipline
Posted December 14, 2005
Hebrews 12:8 says, If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. The character of God, indeed, of Christ is disciplined, and the Holy Spirit is working out His character in us.
Hebrews 29:18 states, Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he. The word vision in that particular passage is chazown {khaw-zone'} in the original Hebrew. It means oracle, prophecy, or a divine communication or revelation, specifically about future events, prophetic vision. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through divine words, and reveals future events, and destiny. The Proverb says that where this is lacking, the people perish. This word, para` {paw-rah'} means to avoid, to neglect, to be loosed of, and show a lack of restraint. Where the prophetic word for our lives is lacking, people cast of restraint. There is no discipline, because there is seemingly no reason to be disciplined. My paraphrased version of that scripture would go as such, When there is no divine communication, nobody disciplines themselves, but those who meditate on what the Holy Spirit has revealed, they are blessed.
Galatians 5:22-23 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. As we meditate on what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us, as we rely on him, self-control comes into fruition in our lives through the fruit of the Spirit. Discipline is required to communicate with the Holy Spirit, and to meditate on the Word, but a greater level of discipline is being worked out in us as we do. It seems as though discipline is a requirement for hearing from God, as well as a result.
However it is essential to discipline ourselves. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, 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. The word run here in this verse was originally the Greek word trecho {trekh'-o}, and it could be translated as to exert one's self, or strive hard or to spend ones strength performing or attaining something This makes it abundantly clear that we are required to actively discipline ourselves. The word egkrateuomai {eng-krat-yoo'-om-ahee} has been translated goes into strict training. This word means exhibit self-government, to be self-controlled, to conduct one's self temperately.
We must then strive hard to be self-controlled, and govern our lives in a disciplined fashion as well as eagerly desire the all the fruit of the Spirit if we are to see Gods character worked out in our lives.
