How can I serve God best today? It’s a question each of us should ask at the beginning of each day. The way we frame our days determines how we live our lives. If we wait for life to just happen to us, we will constantly be in a reactionary mode, and this is not the optimal way to live. Reacting results in circumstances dictating our own actions. A better way to live is to proactively and intentionally influence what circumstances will actually occur in our life. Remember the old saying that the best defense is a good offense? That sports analogy works well in life. We want to make our lives happen rather than wait for things to happen to us. As followers of Jesus, the absolute best way we can do this is to determine ahead of time how we will impact our world for Christ each day.
Discipline
Discipline for Life
Discipline for many is a dreaded word. For most it means doing something that at best is uncomfortable. Without a doubt, discipline means not doing something that would be easy, and doing something that is more difficult instead. We see discipline as engaging in a less enjoyable exercise instead of just doing what we want to do. Spiritual disciplines generally mean spending time or effort on God’s behalf rather than our own (although I would argue that anything we do that glorifies God is ultimately better for us anyway). Craig Groeschel gave a great definition of discipline in a recent message he preached. He said that, “Discipline is doing the right thing regardless of how you feel in the moment.”
The Last Lap
Do you remember the Biblical account of the battle of Jericho? If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read about it in Joshua, the sixth book in the Bible, in chapter six. The quick summary of the story is that Joshua marched the troops of Israel around the fortified city of Jericho in silence once a day for six straight days. On the seventh day, they marched seven times around the city and then blew their trumpets and gave a great shout. At that, the walls of the city came crumbling down. God’s Word doesn’t say if Joshua laid out the whole plan for his army. It only says he told them God said to start marching, so they marched.
The Way of the Disciple
Not many look at each moment of their life as an opportunity to serve God. Time passes so quickly and we lead such frenzied lives that we scarcely notice the opportunities we miss and the decisions we make by rote. It is for this reason that we do not experience great growth in our spiritual lives. Until we learn to capture each moment we encounter, we will struggle to live our life wholly devoted to Christ. A life that is wholly His recognizes every decision is an opportunity to say yes to God and no to our selfish desires. Every breath we take, every thought we think, is a new opportunity to die to ourselves and find ourselves alive in Christ.
Surviving Trials
Life is full of the unexpected. We plan our lives in one direction when out of the blue everything changes. We can’t control every circumstance around us. Our own lack of discipline leaves us open to failures we would have never imagined. Dreams die, hopes are dashed, and everything we once had figured out no longer makes sense. Such is the plight of practically every soul who has ever walked our planet. Somewhere along the line, despite our best intentions, our plans go awry. These are the moments that prove whether or not Christ is truly the Lord of our lives.