Self-Discipline

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. -1 Corinthians 9:24-27

It is no stranger that even in our spiritual life requires discipline. We seem to be able to be discipline about every other things in life but not with God. We work hard at our careers, we are sacrificial to our relationships and family, we are so passionate about our interests but pay little to no attention to our pursuit of God. The church today is struggling as much of its members are living in a very unbalanced life; to which in a way reflects their priorities.

But to a more scary thought is the fact that the contemporary world appears to be more "dependably" trusting than God, so much so that our immediate surroundings can influence our decisions more than God and His words can. There is a real struggle for believers to find themselves placing their deeper trust in God as oppose to the solutions from the world. Seeing how there are more instant remedies that are being crafted by the world to solve problems, it is ever tempting to resolve to those things than to rely on God. This also reflects that we are accepting the hard work from other things in this world but somehow hopes for a more smooth sailing with our pursuit of God.

I see people being diligent about their hobbies and personal interests but find little passion with God, and this is very much reflected in social media. Only a handful of people that seems to share a more balanced pursuit. Of course, social media does not necessarily reflect truth about people's lives. There are people who are truly pursuing God with everything they have in secret but we also need to bear in mind the call to be witness in every way possible. As verse 27 do remind us that we will be preaching to others in what we do and we want to be qualified in doing so. It is not so much that if we are not qualified, then we refrain from preaching, but that because we will be preaching one way or another, we need to push ourselves to be qualified.

All being said, living out our first calling; which is to be one with God by His saving grace is a journey or race that is going to require discipline; discipline in setting priorities, discipline in pursuing those priorities, discipline to enduring through the priorities, and discipline to witness to others.