The Mad Hatter

Discipline and Blogging

Discipline. Comforting to those well-acquainted with its practice; but to the more apathetic among us, frightening; for discipline connotes hard work, diligence, and perseverance... not precisely the hallmarks of a slugabed. Discipline is not something learned, so much as something done. Thus, if a slugabed wished to be disciplined, he must simply choose to do something that requires hard work and diligence, and keep at it with perseverance. And in time, discipline will seem to him, too, a less forbidding foe, and the means to a productive, fulfilling and satisfying life.

In fact, to the Christian, discipline is simply indispensable; we are, after all, disciples of Christ. The life we are called to in Christ is one of continual and progressive character development, as we pursue relentlessly to do His will. In fact, as we review the definition of discipline found in the 1913 Webster dictionary, this is all too apparent. Let us cast a cursory glance through the definitions, one by one:

That we ought, as Christians, to be disciples of our Lord Jesus is a no-brainer. A disciple is one who submits to the discipline of another (their master); and that is precisely what we do when we render our lives to Christ. After all, if we are serious about doing God's will, then we must submit to his authority, and be subject to his training and rebuke. Eventually, "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord" (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
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9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

WP-Bible plugin); and everyone will be subject to his judgement (Hebrews 9:27Hebrews 9:27
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27 Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,

WP-Bible plugin)... but this is not discipline. Discipline is for those who are willing to be taught and trained in a certain way, and thus only those who have submitted to Christ can really be called His disciples.

More generally; it should be noted that everyone is a disciple to someone or something; that one entity which stands alone as your top priority. The question is; who is your master?

"Raise a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not stray from it" we read in Proverbs 22:6Proverbs 22:6
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6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

WP-Bible plugin. In other words: train, teach, nurture, and ... discipline our children in love. Children are exhorted to embrace their parents' discipline as it will develop in them admirable characteristics (Proverbs 15:5Proverbs 15:5
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5 A fool despises his father’s correction, But he who heeds reproof shows prudence.

WP-Bible plugin). As God's adopted children (Romans 8:15Romans 8:15
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15 For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba Abba is a Chaldee word for father or daddy, often used affectionately and respectfully in prayer to our Father in heaven.! Father!”

WP-Bible plugin), we ought likewise to gladly welcome the discipline of God, for He does so out of love for us (Deuteronomy 8:5Deuteronomy 8:5
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5 You shall consider in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so Yahweh your God chastens you.

WP-Bible plugin; Heb 12:5-11Heb 12:5-11
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5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by him; ⁶ For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, And scourges every son whom he receives.” ⁷ It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? ⁸ But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children. ⁹ Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹ All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.

WP-Bible plugin) and for our betterment (1 Corinthians 11:321 Corinthians 11:32
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32 But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

WP-Bible plugin). One of the main ways that we are disciplined as Christians is by heeding, hearing and sharing the Word of God (the scripture); as outlined in 2 Timothy 3:16-172 Timothy 3:16-17
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16 Every writing inspired by God literally, God-breathed is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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To recognise someone as your Lord is precisely to submit to their authority; and to be a member of God's people, this is absolutely required (Romans 8:7-14Romans 8:7-14
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7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh can’t please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. ¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. ¹³ For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.

WP-Bible plugin). From the very beginning, God has always desired to be in proper loving relationship with us (Hosea 6:6Hosea 6:6
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6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

WP-Bible plugin); and in God's omniscience and Lordship He both knows what is best for us and has the authority to lead us, and so this love is best characterised by obedience above all else (John 14:15John 14:15
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15 If you love me, keep my commandments.

WP-Bible plugin, 1 John 5:31 John 5:3
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3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

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Discipline, critically, is something which is seldom (if ever!) pleasant in the present moment, as scripture attests (Hebrews 12:11Hebrews 12:11
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11 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.

WP-Bible plugin); whether it be self-imposed or imposed by external parties. This is because it requires steadfast adherence, especially when you would rather do that which your discipline prevents you from doing. In discipline, though, is greater joy; that deep assurance and satisfaction that comes from knowing you are doing right. Thus we are ever exhorted to "count it [persecution/temptation] all joy" as those who persevere and who are chastened and disciplined will receive the "crown of life" that the Lord in His immeasurable grace and love has stored up for us (James 1:2-12James 1:2-12
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2 Count it all joy, my brothers The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”, when you fall into various temptations, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. ⁷ For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. ⁹ But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits. ¹² Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.

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And; of course, one could go on (for the definitions do). Aye... it is so very clear that the very essence of the Christian life ought to be one of steadfast discipline... and yet is that what we see when we look around at the church of today? And if you are Christian, in yourself? For myself, I cannot but think I am poorly disciplined; or to put it more personally, a poor disciple. But, rescued from the weight of my sin as I am, for there will be no ultimate condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1Romans 8:1
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8 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

WP-Bible plugin), I am not content to remain so. I will continue to press on in ever greater measure after my dear Heavenly Father and Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit and in God's great grace.

Having read my dissertation thus far, you might now be wondering what this has to do at all with blogging (for the title of this article may this far seem a little misleading). I have, in recent times, seen some of my Christian companions maintain blogs (some of which are linked to in the blogroll to the right), and upon taking a glance through their posts, I was struck by the sheer discipline required to maintain a blog as they did; and on the usefulness of posting thoughts on a psuedo-regular basis in order to develop a habit of thoughtful reflection on the events in one's life (both the good and the bad), that we may learn from them. Moreover, upon reading their insights and their experiences, I was encouraged; and perhaps too, my own experiences might encourage them.

Now, certainly, maintaining a blog is far from the only way to achieve these things, and it may well be that I do not follow through with this blog; but by the same token, it seems that a blog might fill this niche admirably. So... in the future, whilst it is unlikely that I will be so verbose as I have been here, maybe I will start to post my thoughts and experiences here from time to time.

In any case, my dear reader, I wish you only the very best; and that my Lord and God might bless and keep you always. Slugabeds, if there be any among you, rise up! Consider the ants (Proverbs 6:6Proverbs 6:6
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6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

WP-Bible plugin), and realise that you are the workmanship of the Most High God, created for good works in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10
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10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

WP-Bible plugin). Recall that you will stand before the Most High God and give account of your lives... and for God's sake (and yours), be disciplined. And that, my friends, applies to me as much as anyone!

A servant of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Matthew.