Discipline...

(The following post was originally written on Nov. 24th, 2014. I am transferring it over here from my previous blog site.)

Photo Credt

As I sat in the familiar chair… (You know the one. You sit in every Sunday when you attend your local worship gathering.) I expected to sing some songs, say what up to some neighbors, and hear a message from the pastor.

What I didn’t expect was to be challenged to my core.

Think about that…. (How sad is it that I was going to church and not expecting to be challenge? Anyways that’s another blog for another time.)

As our pastor was preaching he challenged the congregation to read through the book of 1 John this week. Seems simple enough right? I mean its only five chapters and I can do one a day.

Too easy right?

The issue here is not just reading the five chapters, it’s that for the past 8 Sunday’s I have felt God asking me to do something that honestly, I have been too lazy to do.

I want to do it, but I don’t. (Side note, I think Paul talks about this)

What is it that God has been asking me to do? You’re probably thinking that It has to be something difficult like...

Going on a missions trip? or Give beyond my current means right?

Well no.

He’s been telling me to get my lazy butt up in the am before my family and spend some time with Him.

Sounds simple enough right?

Wrong.

I am ashamed to admit that I am not nor have I ever been one of those people who can wake up in the am and jump into God’s word. It has always been a chore for me.

Can I get a witness on this?

Don’t get me wrong. I do read the Bible and spend time with God. However I feel that He is wanting me to do it in a different way.

And why would God want me to do something so painful like wake up before the sun is up?

Maybe because God wants me to learn discipline.

I struggle with discipline. In fact I am very undisciplined in a lot of areas in my life. (Ask my wife.)

But what I am realizing is that my struggle with discipline is due to the choices I make.  (Such as going to bed past midnight, eating junk food all of the time, etc.) And I have reaped the unfortunate results of a lack of discipline.
So what I guess I am saying is that I need more discipline in my life and God sees that too and He is using people in my life to point that out for me.

Here is a truth that I am learning in all of this: If I want to become more of who God is calling me to be, I need to sacrifice certain things and become disciplined in certain areas so that I can achieve the goals that God has for me.

Am I saying that if you don't wake up early to spend time with God that you aren’t a good Christian?

No.

What I am saying is that God wants us to be obedient to whatever His calling looks like in our lives.

So as I sat in that seat and my pastor issued that challenge, I heard God asking me, “Are you going to do this or not? Are you going to discipline yourself to get out of bed and meet me in the quiet? Are you going to be an example to your wife and son of what is looks like to follow me? Are you going to become the leader that I want you to be? If so, this is where you have to start Andrew, this is the first step. Can you do this for Me?

And right there is where it hit me. God doesn't want me to do this for me, He wants me to do this for Him.

God wants me to do this for Him so that I can reflect Him more. In Him disciplining me, He is forming me to be more like Him.

Jesus knew exactly what this looked like and He modeled it.

If Jesus knew that He had to deny himself to reflect God then I need to do the same. I need to be more disciplined and get my lazy butt up in the am to hear from God.