Dave’s Monday Blast – May 8, 2017
Last week we began to unpack an article by R. Kent Hughes entitled the 10 Disciplines of a Godly Man. The spring board is an admonition from the Apostle Paul to his protégé, Timothy, as recorded for us in 1 Timothy 4:7-8; “Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Paul knew that a mature Christian life does not just happen…it requires INTENTIONAL discipline.
From last week:
- The Discipline of Purity: In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 we are challenged to develop the awareness that sustained Joseph in Genesis 39:9.
- The Discipline of Relationships:Relationships are not optional (Hebrews 10:25); they enable us to develop into what God wants us to be and most effectively learn and live God’s truth.
New this week:
- The Discipline of the Mind: The potential of possessing the mind of Christ found in 1 Corinthians 2:16 introduces the scandal of today’s church, Christians who do not think Christianly (I know this is a sketchy word), leaving our minds undisciplined. The Apostle Paul understood this well: “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Each ingredient is a matter of personal choice. You can never have a Christian mind without reading the Scriptures regularly because you cannot be influenced by that which you do not know.
- The Discipline of Devotion:Reading God’s Word is essential, but meditation internalizes the Word and responds, “I desire to do your will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8). Beyond instructions like Ephesians 6:18-20, there are two great reasons to pray. The more we expose our lives to the white-hot sun of Christ’s righteous life, the more His image will be burned into our character. The second reason is that prayer bends our wills to God’s will. Many men never have an effective devotional life because they never plan for it; they never expose their lives to His pure light. That’s good isn’t it!
Next week…the Discipline of Integrity and the Discipline of the Tongue.
