Discipulus ~ Disciples

So often we think of discipline and self-control as our enemies! Typically they represent to most, a hard, strenuous, frustrating road! One most likely we will fail at more often than not! But I’ve been parked on this subject for some time now…usually that’s the first clue God is trying to teach you something! 🙃

Sometimes I tend to be a little slower in some areas of growth than I’d like to be!! Ugh!! But, there are some things that I think are incredibly valuable in our walk with God and I’d like to share that with you today. So I pray this helps in some area of your life as it has in some for me!

Now, when we think of discipline or self-control it usually comes with a ugly, negative connotation attached! But actually, let’s flip it and look at it from another angle. Let’s look at it from our Heavenly Father’s perspective!

Here’s a little study for you…..

Mark 8:34,  says, “When He (Jesus) had called the people to Himself, with his disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross , and follow ME.”

The word DISCIPLE AND DISCIPLINE come from the same root word “Discipulus” (Disciples)! Pupil, learner! Think about that a moment! This is telling us it will take discipline in our lives to be a disciple of Jesus Christ! Imagine that!
Now, each of us has struggles in all different areas. So don’t get hung up on how BIG OR UGLY your shortcoming(s) is!!! Here’s the good news…. DISCIPLINE AND SELF-CONTROL are the very LINK to God’s perfect will in our lives!!! It will get us and keep us moving into, and through our lives and through the doors we are to walk through!!

Exodus 15:17 says, “You (God) will bring them in and PLANT them on YOUR OWN MOUNTAIN – the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that YOUR HANDS HAVE ESTABLISHED!” A disciplined (disciple) person LINES himself up with God and His will NO MATTER HOW WE FEEL ABOUT IT!!! A disciplined (disciple) person will determine to make NO ALLOWANCES for a FLESHLY, “I want what I want and will do it my way” nature to dictate our lives!! This scripture tells us that God PLANTS us right where HE’S ESTABLISHED for us to be!!! I don’t know about you, but that is so reassuring to me!! God will plant me right where (and with whom) HE HAS ESTABLISHED!! That is so freaking awesome !!! Love it!!

Are there some areas in your life God has been showing you to discard, walk away from, stop doing? How about areas He’s asked you to step up into, reach out somewhere, or travel new, unmarked, unfamiliar territory ? Well, here’s the beautiful thing about this… it’s for our own protection!! It’s not a sentence to drudgery or a God controlling us! You know the ol’ saying….”it’s for your own good”….Well it is!!! Just because we don’t know the WHY behind God saying DON’T do this or DO that, doesn’t me He’s this big ogre up in heaven waiting to slap you down because you’re just not doing it right!!!

THAT, MY FRIENDS, IS NOT OUR LOVING, FAITHFUL, MERCIFUL, FULL OF GRACE, FATHER….Just so ya know!

Just like a good parent disciplines their children to “train them up in the admonition of the Lord”(Proverbs 22:6) So God does with us!!! So, if you find yourself stagnant, not really seeing much change, or things seem to be a little ambiguous….. stop… ponder…. perhaps God is trying to deal with you in some areas. Perhaps He’s letting you sit in the stagnant waters until you get frustrated enough to go back to what He spoke to you in the first place!?

Let’s be disciplines as true disciples of Christ!!