I can’t say it better than William Temple:
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Conscience, mind, imagination, heart, will–disciplined via true worship.
Is there a place for discipline in worship?
The undisciplined mind lacks focus. Thoughts flit about willy-nilly. Worship focuses God.
It is more than showing up on Sunday and mindlessly going through the rituals. Worship is a disciplined way of life.
It is a worship service—we serve God together in worship. We leave to serve God separately as we move through the week. It takes discipline to come and serve; it takes discipline to go and serve.
The word discipline means teaching, learning; disciple means pupil.
Church discipline, then, involves teaching and learning about God, in the company of other believers–children of the Father, followers of Christ, pupils of the Holy Spirit.
Each of us is both learner and teacher.
Bring on the church discipline!
Discipline – my one word for 2015.
Hebrews 12:6 (ESV)
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves.
Lord knows, I am loved. How about you?
I asked God what my one word should be for 2015.
Discipline.
That didn’t sound fun. I ignored it.
God repeated: Discipline.
I looked it up:
The word discipline comes from the Latin word disciplina which means teaching, learning; disciple comes from discipulus, meaning pupil.
OK. I can do this. This verse came to mind:
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Thus 2015’s one word connects to 2014’s (last year’s one word was two words: good works).
Good word, God, good work.
Have you heard of one word resolutions? You focus on one word for the whole year. How’s that sound?
Your one word can be a godly attribute or spiritual discipline–patience or solitude, for example. Study Scripture that relates to this one word. Pray about it. See what wise old saints have to say. Look for opportunities to exercise your one word.
Last year, I picked two words as my one word: good works, as in Ephesians 2:10:
. . . created in Christ Jesus to do good works . . .
My 2015 one word? Discipline (gonna be interesting).
Is God whispering one word in your ear?
Resolved: to obey the 1st Commandment
(the Message Bible phrases it so well):
Exodus 20:3
No other gods, only me.
God isn’t just #1, he is the only One.
This ancient Irish monastic meditation goes way back, to at least the 8th century. It is familiar to us as the hymn “Be Thou my Vision.”
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
(verses by Eleanor Hull, 1912)
Resolved: Lord God, be my vision in 2015 and beyond.
