Delight & Be Disciplined

At the age of 19 and 20, Jonathan Edwards, the theologian from the 1700’s that has largely impacted Christianity throughout the ages, wrote a long list of resolutions. This list, that can now be found in book form, was a compilation of his resolves for every day, every week, every month, in every year of his life. Grab a soft blanket, or whatever brings you a bit of sweet comfort [I needed it], as I list just a few of these incredible resolutions.

Number One :

“Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.”

Number Six :

“Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.”

Number Seven :

“Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.” [ouch, the heart prick I got when I first heard that one is still aching]

Number Twenty-Five :

“Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.”

Number Twenty-Nine :

“Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.”

Number Forty :

“Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking.”

Number Fifty-Four :

“Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, resolved to endeavor to imitate it.”

Number Sixty-Eight :

“Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help.”

Now, unless you’re an up and coming Jonathan Edwards yourself that the world doesn’t know about yet, please tell me that some of these were really convicting. Because I highly doubt that I am the only person who is extremely lacking and in need of so much grace when it comes to Delighting and Being Disciplined.

As we enter into praying, hoping, and working to grow in discipline this month together, let us begin with hope. Our hope is in a Father unwilling to leave us trapped in ourselves, a Son, willing to cover us with His blood, and a Spirit, able to empower us to do what we are not able to do.

While I wish I could offer a list of practical tips that are a sure-fire way to see discipline instantly become one of your strongest character traits, it just doesn’t work that way. The truth is, we are all looking for that magic list, that A-B-C step-by-step to help us grab ahold of all of our organizational, gett-er done, world conquering potential. While I have grappled with this fruit of the spirit and sought to make it come alive in my life, I have come face to face with my own inability. I don’t care how many good intentions I have, some days are “great”, the motivation surges and the world is seemingly at my fingertips. Other days, no matter how hard I try, all that seems to be before me is the obvious facts that every other person in the world is lightyears ahead of me and I will never be able to catch up to their success.

Practical tips and to-do lists are truly great motivators for learning to be disciplined, but to start off this month, I want to go back to the heart. Where can we find that true, life-altering, real heart change? It may seem simple and short for a memory verse, but this month I want us to memorize Matthew 3.8, bear fruit in keeping with repentance. It is short and sweet, but I believe it is packed with truth that cause heart change.

Because you see, repentance is that full, complete turn around, turning from our way towards God’s way. When we repent, we begin to change the way we think. True repentance involves change of action. Repentance goes farther than just that moment on our knees, confessing our wrongs before God and our need of Him. Yes, we must know how desperately we need Him, and then we must truly rely and come to Him for strength, enabling grace, and motivation to continue to say “no” to that old way of doing things and acting in the new way He has called us to.

Self control begins in the holy of holies. In the very innermost and deepest parts of who we are, we find the very reasons and heart behind why we have acted and lived in such and such a way. God meets us there and reminds us that He sent His own Son to rescue us from ourselves. And oh, how desperately we need that Savior. We need Him every day.

So the question is, do you believe that God is your teacher, waiting for you to do all of the homework that was assigned to you so that you can hopefully receive an A+? Or do you believe that He will patiently and filled with love, guide you towards greater heart change? What we believe about God will determine where we look for hope to delight and be disciplined.

I ask you, as one daughter of Christ to the next, will you join me on this journey? Will you look at your heart and ask God to reveal to you the ways in which you need to change? Are there hours of the day you spend, selfishly indulging in something that is not honoring Him? Do you put aside task and rest when He calls you to come away with Him? Most importantly, are you willing to join Him in effecting growth in your life and bearing fruit by keeping with repentance?

As we make ourselves available to God’s work in our lives, we must begin to take steps of faith, towards growing effective change. Remember, success is not accomplished in one grand gesture of heroism or defeat, but rather in the day-by-day faithfulness of walking out the tasks before us. Walking in discipline means letting your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”. Often we think of disciplined people as the ones who can do it all, but discipline means being able to commit to only that which you are truly ready to invest your time and energy in. As you face these tasks, along with the relationships God has placed in your life, seek to do it all with diligence and love. 

Discipline can have such a negative connotation to it, but Scripture assures us that “the Lord disciplines those He loves” [Hebrews 12.6], so we can trust that He only has His glory and our very best in mind. As we pray and seek to be disciplined people of God, let us not forget the delight part. Delight and be disciplined. In His presence is fullness of joy and our delight is in knowing that our lives can be used to create a fragrant aroma to bring our Father pleasure. Let us be children of God, growing always in discipline and resolve to love and delight the One who gives us all purpose for life.

Charissa Wong, Delight Intensive Leader {Writing}