The Object of Discipline (6)

But reject profane and old wives’  fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 1 Timothy 4.7, 8

First, resolve!
We have been urging the point in this series that discipleship is a physical thing; it necessarily involves the members of our bodies in carrying out the good works to which we are called as followers of Jesus Christ.

But living this way doesn’t come naturally to us, and the mere passage of time in the faith will not bring it to fruition, either. Rather, we have to attack this calling like an athlete, agonizing against the natural, sinful tendencies of our bodily members in order to make them obey the determinations of our souls. When our minds are made up to follow Jesus, our hearts are devoted to Him in love, and our consciences have established seeking His Kingdom and righteousness as our first priorities, disciplining our bodies will be an exciting, enjoyable, and fruitful undertaking.

But this is precisely the challenge. First, we have to make up our minds that this is the disciplined life we intend to pursue. I’m reminded of an old Steve Martin routine concerning how to be a millionaire. First, Martin advises, get a million dollars. Everything is easier after that. Disciplining our bodies for discipleship will follow once we have resolved in our souls that following Christ and serving Him are going to be the order of the day in all the activities of our lives.

But that resolve must be firmly lodged in our souls, in all the cylinders of this spiritual engine of life. Then, once in place, that resolve must be daily revisited and reinforced.

It starts in the soul
Put another way, we might say that the physical power by which our bodies become employed in serving Jesus Christ is generated by the spiritual fuel that we faithfully stoke into the engine of our soul. In fact, this is not unlike the way God Himself, a most pure Spirit, rules the physical cosmos (Heb. 1.3). We will not be able to fulfill our calling for true words and good works with our bodies if our approach to the care and feeding of our souls is merely casual or cavalier.

In the repertoire of Kingdom disciplines, therefore, spiritual disciplines, are foundational to all other disciplines. Without a good regimen of spiritual disciplines, daily and faithfully pursued, we’re likely to fall short of what we need to make our bodies serve Jesus in all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities, and amid the hard knocks and disappointments of life.

I don’t want us to take this for granted. You will not think about serving Christ with your body unless your mind is exercised and trained to focus on spiritual matters above all else. You won’t be inclined to serve others in love with your tongue or hands unless your heart is being daily steeped in the love of Jesus Christ. And you will doubtless fritter away many opportunities to make the most of your time unless, in your conscience, you have resolved and determined that the first priority in all the moments of your life is to serve Christ and glorify God.

From these powerful spiritual cylinders, well-tuned and richly fueled, the engine of our soul generates the good works our bodies carry out in every area of life.

Keeping the soul fine-tuned
So we must keep this engine fine-tuned and running on the high-octane fuel of regular spiritual disciplines. Your Christian life will be disappointing, unreal, and unfruitful unless you daily attend to the care and feeding of your soul.

This means daily time in God’s Word, reading, meditating, journaling, and seeking out applications for your daily life.

It will also require prayer – more prayer, earnest prayer, that goes with you throughout the day and keeps you focused on your high calling in the Lord.

Regular worship of God will also help to keep that perspective in focus. And other disciplines, such as fasting, singing, and solitude, can also help in making sure that the good works you desire to fulfill will have the spiritual power necessary to drive them forward when push comes to shove in the opportunities of your everyday life.

Spiritual disciplines are the starting-point for disciplining our bodies to follow Jesus.

Next Steps: How would you describe the state of your spiritual disciplines at this time? Can you see any areas where improvement is needed? Talk with a pastor or church leader about these questions.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, The Object of Discipline, is part 1 of a 7-part series on The Disciplined Life, and is available as a free download.

Kingdom discipline begins in Kingdom vision, and that vision is centered on Jesus Christ exalted. T. M. has prepared a series of meditations on the glorious vision of Christ, based on Scripture and insights from Celtic Christians. Order your copy of Be Thou My Vision by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.